Hello everybody - welcome to this week's Chemical Elements post, featuring what is probably the element with the worst reputation when it comes to smell - sulphur!
(Also, sorry for not posting on the 2nd!)
If you are confused by any of these terms, go to the glossary!
Facts about sulphur
Symbol: S
Electron configuration: [Ne] 3s23p4
Atomic number: 16
Key isotopes: 32S
Relative atomic mass: 32.06
Melting point: 115.21 °C
Boiling point: 444.01 °C
Electronegativity: 2.58
1st ionisation energy: 999.589 kJ mol-1
Sulphur is a yellow crystalline non-metallic element in group 16 of the periodic table.
Here is what the Royal Society of Chemistry has to say about it:
Sulphur is used in the vulcanisation of black rubber, as a fungicide and in black gunpowder. Most sulphur is, however, used in the production of sulfuric acid, which is perhaps the most important chemical manufactured by western civilisations. The most important of sulfuric acid’s many uses is in the manufacture of phosphoric acid, to make phosphates for fertilisers.
Mercaptans are a family of organosulfur compounds. Some are added to natural gas supplies because of their distinctive smell, so that gas leaks can be detected easily. Others are used in silver polish, and in the production of pesticides and herbicides. Sulphites are used to bleach paper and as preservatives for many foodstuffs. Many surfactants and detergents are sulphate derivatives. Calcium sulphate (gypsum) is mined on the scale of 100 million tonnes each year for use in cement and plaster.
Sulphur is essential to all living things. It is taken up as sulphate from the soil (or seawater) by plants and algae. It is used to make two of the essential amino acids needed to make proteins. It is also needed in some co-enzymes. The average human contains 140 grams and takes in about 1 gram a day, mainly in proteins. Sulphur and sulphate are non-toxic. However, carbon disulphide, hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide are all toxic. Hydrogen sulphide is particularly dangerous and can cause death by respiratory paralysis. Sulphur dioxide is produced when coal and unpurified oil are burned. Sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere causes acid rain. This can cause lakes to die, partly by making toxic aluminium salts soluble, so that they are taken up by living things
Sulphur occurs naturally as the element, often in volcanic areas. This has traditionally been a major source for human use. It is also widely found in many minerals including iron pyrites, galena, gypsum and Epsom salts. Elemental sulphur was once commercially recovered from wells by the Frasch process. This involved forcing super-heated steam into the underground deposits to melt the sulphur, so it could be pumped to the surface as a liquid. Modern sulphur production is almost entirely from the various purification processes used to remove sulphur from natural gas, oil and tar sands. All living things contain sulphur and when fossilised (as in fossil fuels) the sulphur remains present. If unpurified fossil fuels are burnt, sulphur dioxide can enter the atmosphere, leading to acid rain.
Let's get started, then!
Electron configuration: [Ne] 3s23p4
Atomic number: 16
Key isotopes: 32S
Relative atomic mass: 32.06
Melting point: 115.21 °C
Boiling point: 444.01 °C
Electronegativity: 2.58
1st ionisation energy: 999.589 kJ mol-1
Sulphur is a yellow crystalline non-metallic element in group 16 of the periodic table.
Here is what the Royal Society of Chemistry has to say about it:
Sulphur is used in the vulcanisation of black rubber, as a fungicide and in black gunpowder. Most sulphur is, however, used in the production of sulfuric acid, which is perhaps the most important chemical manufactured by western civilisations. The most important of sulfuric acid’s many uses is in the manufacture of phosphoric acid, to make phosphates for fertilisers.
Mercaptans are a family of organosulfur compounds. Some are added to natural gas supplies because of their distinctive smell, so that gas leaks can be detected easily. Others are used in silver polish, and in the production of pesticides and herbicides. Sulphites are used to bleach paper and as preservatives for many foodstuffs. Many surfactants and detergents are sulphate derivatives. Calcium sulphate (gypsum) is mined on the scale of 100 million tonnes each year for use in cement and plaster.
Sulphur is essential to all living things. It is taken up as sulphate from the soil (or seawater) by plants and algae. It is used to make two of the essential amino acids needed to make proteins. It is also needed in some co-enzymes. The average human contains 140 grams and takes in about 1 gram a day, mainly in proteins. Sulphur and sulphate are non-toxic. However, carbon disulphide, hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide are all toxic. Hydrogen sulphide is particularly dangerous and can cause death by respiratory paralysis. Sulphur dioxide is produced when coal and unpurified oil are burned. Sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere causes acid rain. This can cause lakes to die, partly by making toxic aluminium salts soluble, so that they are taken up by living things
Sulphur occurs naturally as the element, often in volcanic areas. This has traditionally been a major source for human use. It is also widely found in many minerals including iron pyrites, galena, gypsum and Epsom salts. Elemental sulphur was once commercially recovered from wells by the Frasch process. This involved forcing super-heated steam into the underground deposits to melt the sulphur, so it could be pumped to the surface as a liquid. Modern sulphur production is almost entirely from the various purification processes used to remove sulphur from natural gas, oil and tar sands. All living things contain sulphur and when fossilised (as in fossil fuels) the sulphur remains present. If unpurified fossil fuels are burnt, sulphur dioxide can enter the atmosphere, leading to acid rain.
…I'd say that probably wraps up the Chemical Elements part of the post - so it's now time to introduce a new section to blog posts. It's like the old Week Overviews in a way:
Let's get started, then!
This past week has been Assessment Week at school. With me being in Year 10, the tests have been my GCSE mock exams. Here is my timetable:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | |
| Morning | Art | Maths | English | Science |
| Afternoon | PE Theory | Geography | None | DT (late morning) |
(I didn't actually do DT, but am including it there for the sake of completion. All exams were finished by Thursday lunchtime.) The exam I found easiest was Maths, followed by Science. I found English hardest, followed by Geography.
We are also saying goodbye to Alan, our Maths teacher. He's returning to retirement while we're getting a new Maths teacher (whose name I've forgotten for the third time, I think!)
We are also saying goodbye to Alan, our Maths teacher. He's returning to retirement while we're getting a new Maths teacher (whose name I've forgotten for the third time, I think!)
So that's been most of what's happened to me recently. I hope you like the introduction of Personal Update post sections - and I'll see you on the 30th! Bye for now!