Chemistry of Sulfur

Sulfur is a chemical element that is represented with the chemical symbol "S" and the atomic number 16 on the periodic table. Because it is 0.0384% of the Earth's crust, sulfur is the seventeenth most abundant element following strontium. Sulfur also takes on many forms, which include elemental sulfur, organo-sulfur compounds in oil and coal, H₂S(g) in natural gas, and mineral sulfides and sulfates. This element is extracted by using the Frasch process (discussed below), a method where superheated water and compressed air is used to draw liquid sulfur to the surface. Offshore sites, Texas, and Louisiana are the primary sites that yield extensive amounts of elemental sulfur. However, elemental sulfur can also be produced by reducing H₂S, commonly found in oil and natural gas. For the most part though, sulfur is used to produce SO₂(g) and H₂SO₄.

Known from ancient times (mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures as brimstone) sulfur was classified as an element in 1777 by Lavoisier. Pure sulfur is tasteless and odorless with a light yellow color. Samples of sulfur often encountered in the lab have a noticeable odor. Sulfur is the tenth most abundant element in the known universe.