Periodic Table ~ sulfur ~ Element ~ CAS 7704-34-9

sulfur

Name	sulfur
Symbol	S
Atomic Weight	32.065
Atomic Number	16
CAS ID	7704-34-9
Group Number	16
Group Name	Chalcogen
Period Number	3
Origin of Name	Sanskrit, sulvere = "sulfur;" Latin sulphurium.
Year Discovered	Prehistoric
Discovery Credits	Known to ancient civilizations.
Class	Non-Metallic
Color	Yellow
Standard State	Solid at 77 F & 298 K
Description	Several allotropes, of which orthorhombic S₈ is the most stable. Stable to air and water but burns if heated. Attacked by oxidizing acids. Recovered from H₂S in natural gas or from salt domes by the Frasch process. Key industrial chemical. Diagnostic tests: Native Sulfur (S⁰): Native sulfur can be detected by the faint odor of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) gas from the sample. Sulfides (S^2-): In the closed tube, some sulfides give off sulfur when heated. In the open tube, they yield sharp smelling sulfur dioxide (SO₂) gas. Sulfates (SO₄^2-): Fuse a sample on charcoal mixed with with soda (Na₂CO₃) and charcoal dust. The fused mass, when sodium sulfide has thus been formed, is place on a clean silver coin or other object and moistened, a distinct black stain on the silver is thus obtained. In an acid (HCl) solution, SO₄^2- gives a white precipitate by the addition of dilute BaCl₂.