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Sulfur is an essential component of all living cells. It is the eighth most abundant element in the human body by weight, [ 101 ] about equal in abundance to potassium, and slightly greater than sodium and chlorine. [ 102 ] A 70 kg (150 lb) human body contains about 140 grams (4.9 oz) of sulfur. [ 103 ]
Treatment of sulfur with hydrogen gives hydrogen sulfide.When dissolved in water, hydrogen sulfide is mildly acidic: [5] H 2 S ⇌ HS − + H +. Hydrogen sulfide gas and the hydrosulfide anion are extremely toxic to mammals, due to their inhibition of the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin and certain cytochromes in a manner analogous to cyanide and azide.
Sulfur dioxide is an intermediate in the production of sulfuric acid, being converted to sulfur trioxide, and then to oleum, which is made into sulfuric acid. Sulfur dioxide for this purpose is made when sulfur combines with oxygen. The method of converting sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid is called the contact process.
Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen, with the molecular formula H2SO4. It is a colorless, odorless, and viscous liquid that is soluble with water.
Sulfur is an insulator with a band gap of 2.6 eV, and a photoconductor meaning its electrical conductivity increases a million-fold when illuminated. Sulfur has a moderate ionisation energy (999.6 kJ/mol), high electron affinity (200 kJ/mol), and high electronegativity (2.58). It is a poor oxidising agent (S 8 + 2e − → H 2 S = 0.14 V at pH ...
Amorphous sulfur is the quenched product from molten sulfur hotter than the λ-transition at 160 °C, where polymerization yields catena sulfur molecules. [2] (Above this temperature, the properties of the liquid melt change remarkably.
The sulfur atom is in the +6 oxidation state while the four oxygen atoms are each in the −2 state. The sulfate ion carries an overall charge of −2 and it is the conjugate base of the bisulfate (or hydrogensulfate) ion, HSO − 4 , which is in turn the conjugate base of H 2 SO 4 , sulfuric acid .
Organosulfur chemistry is the study of the properties and synthesis of organosulfur compounds, which are organic compounds that contain sulfur. [1] They are often associated with foul odors, but many of the sweetest compounds known are organosulfur derivatives, e.g., saccharin. Nature is abound with organosulfur compounds—sulfur is vital for ...