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Atomic weight = 32.064 16S Electron configuration = [Ne]3s23p4 | |
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Elemental sulfur is a yellow, nonmetallic molecular solid of crownlike S8 rings. The most stable allotrope under normal conditions is blocklike rhombic sulfur which differs from needlelike monoclinic sulfur in the manner in which the S8 rings are stacked together. Sulfur has a pronounced ability to catenate or form chains of atoms. Two examples are the S8 rings of eemental sulfur and -S-S- linkages that connect different chains of amino acids in proteins. The most important compound of sulfur is sulfuric acid which is produced commercially in the contact process: S(g) + O2(g) ---> SO2(g), 1000oC 2SO2(g) + O2(g) ---> 2SO3(g), 500oC, V2O5 catalyst SO3(g) + H2SO4(l) ---> H2S2O7(l) H2S2O7(l) + H2O(l) ---> 2H2SO4(l) | |