Sulfur belongs to the chalcogen family. Other members of the family are oxygen, selenium, tellurium, and polonium. These elements make up Group 16 (VIA) of the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to each other.
The term chalcogen comes from two Greek words meaning "ore forming." An ore is a naturally occurring mineral used as a source for an element. Many ores are compounds of a metal and oxygen or a metal and sulfur. Compounds that contain two elements, one of which is sulfur, are called sulfides. For example, a beautiful gold-colored mineral is called pyrite, or "fool's gold," because it looks so much like real gold. Pyrite is iron sulfide (FeS 2 ).
Sulfur was known to ancient peoples. Its physical and chemical properties are very distinctive. It often occurs as a brilliant yellow powder. When it burns, it produces a clear blue flame and a very strong odor.
SYMBOL
S
ATOMIC NUMBER
16
ATOMIC MASS
32.064
FAMILY
Group 16 (VIA)
Chalcogen
PRONUNCIATION
SUL-fur
Sulfur, also spelled as sulphur, is a very important element in today's world. Its most important use is in the manufacture of sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ). There is more sulfuric acid made than any other chemical in the world. It has an enormous number of important uses.
Discovery and naming
Sulfur must have been well known to ancient peoples. They sometimes referred to it as brimstone. Sulfur sometimes occurs in bright yellow layers on the top of the earth. It has a sharp, offensive odor. When it burns, it gives off a strong, suffocating smell. The odor is like that produced when a match is struck.
The Bible mentions brimstone in a number of places. For example, Sodom and Gomorrah were two towns destroyed by God for the wicked ways of their citizens: "The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire."
But ancient people certainly did not think about sulfur the way modern chemists do. In fact, they used the word "element" to talk about anything that was basic. Ancient Greek philosophers, for example, thought that everything consisted of four elements: earth, fire, water, and air. Other philosophers thought there were only two elements: sulfur and mercury.
But early thinkers were often confused as to what they meant by the word "sulfur." They often were talking about anything that burned and gave off large amounts of smoke. To them, "sulfur" was really a "burning substance." It took centuries for scientists to identify sulfur as an element.
Explanation:
