Ten interesting facts about sulfur

Sulfur, whose chemical symbol is S, is element 16 on the periodic table and is part of the oxygen group. It is a non-metallic element of great biological and industrial importance.

Here are some of the more interesting facts about sulfur.

1.- It is found in elemental form in nature

Sulfur is one of the few elements that can be found in pure, elemental form in nature. It is a pale yellow solid nonmetal found in large deposits, which are generally of volcanic origin.

Although many sulfur compounds are foul-smelling and associated with spoiled food, elemental sulfur is non-toxic and can be eaten or applied topically without any harmful health effects.

2.- It is an essential element for life

Sulfur is one of the essential elements for life. Plants and algae absorb it from the soil and water, generally in the form of sulphates, and use it to synthesize two of the essential amino acids for the intracellular manufacture of proteins, cysteine ​​and methionine. These amino acids are involved in the folding and both the secondary and tertiary structure of proteins, being essential for the fulfillment of their different biological functions.

3.- Many of its compounds smell bad

Many sulfur-containing organic compounds have a very foul odor. For example, most mercaptans, also called thiols, such as mercatoethanol, have a characteristic odor of rotten eggs, although the latter in particular owes its odor to hydrogen sulfide of the formula H ₂ S.

4.- It is partly responsible for acid rain

The presence of sulfur in unrefined fuels is the main cause of acid rain generated by the pollution of some industries and coal-fired power plants.

When burned in the presence of air, sulfur oxidizes and produces sulfur dioxide, which is a gas that passes into the atmosphere. Once there, it reacts with water vapor to become sulfuric acid, thus acidifying the rain.

5.- Forms needle-shaped monoclinic crystals

Although it occurs naturally as an amorphous powder, sulfur can also form crystals, which change shape with temperature. These can be obtained in a number of ways, the simplest of which is by melting sulfur (melting point 115.21 °C) and then allowing it to cool slowly. An alternative way, although slightly more dangerous due to the toxicity of the solvent, is by dissolving the sulfur in hot toluene and then allowing the solution to cool. This produces beautiful yellow needle-like crystals.

6.- The smell of its compounds is extremely powerful

The odor of mercaptans, organic compounds that have the –SH functional group, is so intense that a drop of these compounds, disseminated in the atmosphere, can be detected hundreds of meters away in the open air.

For this reason, small amounts of mercaptans are added to the butane gas used for cooking; This makes it possible to quickly detect any gas leak, since butane and other gaseous alkanes are completely odorless.

7.- It is a very abundant element on Earth

Sulfur is the tenth most abundant element in the universe and is created as part of the alpha process in massive stars. We can also find it in meteorites and other celestial bodies. Sulfur is the 16th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, but its abundance is greatest in the core. It is estimated that there is enough sulfur on the planet to form two elemental sulfur moons.

8.- It is part of many minerals

Most of the sulfur on Earth is associated with other elements in the form of multiple minerals. One of the most common is pyrite formed by ferrous disulfide, which is a mineral that forms beautiful perfectly cubic crystals, like the ones shown in the following image.

In addition to pyrite, other sulfur-containing minerals include cinnabar, made from mercury sulfide, and galena, which contains lead sulfide.

9.- He is involved in many hair treatments

Sulfur is essential for treatments that change the shape of the hair, such as perms and the use of heating irons. The shape of the hair is largely determined by the presence of cystine residues that make up the so-called disulfide bridges, which contain two sulfur atoms linked together. These disulfide bridges are formed through the reduction of two cysteine ​​residues which, as mentioned above, are sulfur-containing essential amino acids. Disulfide bridges are the links that are broken and reformed during treatments intended either to straighten or curl the hair, as is the case with perms.

10.- It is of great industrial importance

In industry, sulfur is used as part of the formulation of black powder, which in turn is used in the manufacture of some explosives, fireworks, and firearm ammunition. Furthermore, it is the raw material for the synthesis of sulfuric acid, one of the most important industrial acids worldwide. On the other hand, it is one of the essential nutrients for all types of plants, which is why it is part of chemical fertilizers.

11.- Presents 18 isotopes

Sulfur occurs in the form of a mixture of 18 natural isotopes of which four are stable and the rest are radioactive. The major isotope is sulfur-32, which forms 95.02% of natural elemental sulfur; while the other three stable isotopes are, in order of abundance, S-34 (4.21%), S-33 (0.75%) and S-36 (0.02%).

12.- It is one of the most mined elements

It is the fourth most extracted element from the earth’s crust by humans. The annual production of sulfur reaches 69,300 metric tons, being greater than aluminum, magnesium, chromium and copper and only less than nitrogen, sodium and iron.

References

Sulfur (S) Chemical properties and effects on health and the environment . (nd). LennTech. https://www.lenntech.es/periodica/elementos/s.htm

EcuRed. (nd). sulfur . Collaborative encyclopedia in the Cuban Network. https://www.ecured.cu/Azufre

OK Diary. (2017, May 17). Sulfur Characteristics . okdiario.com. https://okdiario.com/curiosidades/caracteristicas-del-azufre-779043 Rol, R. (sf).

Facts and curiosities about sulfur . Role Science. https://www.rolscience.net/2020/06/datos-y-curiosidades-sobre-el-azufre.html