Name: Sulfur Symbol: S Atomic number: 16 Atomic weight: 32.065 (5) Standard state: solid at 298 K CAS Registry ID: 7704-34-9
Group in periodic table: 16 Group name: Chalcogen Period in periodic table: 3 Block in periodic table: p-block Colour: lemon yellow Classification: Non-metallic
The picture above shows the result from burning a mixture of zinc metal powder and sulphur.
Dalton published these ideas himself in the following year in the New System of Chemical Philosophy. The symbol used by Dalton for sulphur is shown below. [See History of Chemistry, Sir Edward Thorpe, volume 1, Watts & Co, London, 1914.]
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Isolation
Isolation: it is not normally necessary to make sulphur in the laboratory as it is so readily available. It is found as the native element in nature and extracted by the Frasch process. This is an interesting process since it means that sulphur can be extracted from underground without mining it. In the Frasch process underground deposits of sulphur are forced to the surface using superheated water and steam (160C, 16 atmospheres, to melt the sulphur) and compressed air (25 atmospheres). This gives molten sulphur which is allowed to cool in large basins. Purity can reach 99.5%. The process in energy intensive. Commercial success for this operation depends upon suitable geological conditions as well as access to cheap water and energy. Hydrogen sulphide, H2S, is an important impurrity in natural gas which must be removed before the gas is used. This is done by an absorption and regeneration process to concentrate the H2S, followed by a catalytic oxidation (Claus process) using porous catalysts such as Al2O3 or Fe2O3. 8H2S + 4O2 S8 + 8H2O Over the years the Claus process has been improved and a modified process can yield 98% recovery. In the laboratory, sulphur can be purified by recrystallisation from solutions in carbon disulphide, CS2. However the resulting crystals are contaminated with solvent, H2S, and SO2. One good way to purify sulphur is to use a quartz heater (700C) immersed in liquid sulphur. Carbon impurities decompose to form volatile materials of solid carbon, which coat the heater. After a week or so, finishing with a distillation under vacuum, the result is sulphur with a carbon content of about 0.0009%.