1. MSA University, Faculty of Pharmacy Analytical Department
COURSE CODE,PC123
NAME:MOHAMED ADELAFIFI ABDO ID:142311
FOR DR:MAHA KAMAL .
1 ‫ــ‬
INTRODUCTION :
Sulfur or sulphur is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is an

2. abundant, multivalent non-metal. Undernormal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic
molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow crystallinesolid when at
room temperature. Chemically, sulfur can react as either an oxidant or reducing agent. It oxidizes
most metals and several nonmetals, including carbon, which leads to its negative charge in most
organosulfur compounds, but it reduces several strong oxidants, such as oxygen and fluorine.
Sulfur occurs naturally as the pure element (native sulfur) and as sulfide and sulfate minerals.
Elemental sulfur crystals are commonly sought after by mineral collectors for their distinct,
brightly colored polyhedron shapes. Being abundant in native form, sulfur was known in ancient
times, mentioned for its uses in ancient India, ancient Greece, China and Egypt. Fumes from
burning sulfur were used as fumigants, and sulfur-containing medicinal mixtures were used as
balms and antiparasitics.
Sulfur is referred to in the Bible asbrimstone (burn stone) in English, with this name still used in
several nonscientific tomes.[3]
It was needed to make the best quality ofblack gunpowder. In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier helped
convince the scientific community that sulfur was a basic element rather than a compound.
Elemental sulfur was once extracted from salt domes where it sometimes occurs in nearly pure
form, but this method has been obsolete since the late 20th century. Today, almost all elemental
sulfur is produced as a byproduct of removing sulfur-containing contaminants from natural gas
and petroleum. The element's commercial uses are primarily in fertilizers, because of the relatively
high requirement of plants for it, and in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, a primary industrial
chemical. Other well-known uses for the element are in matches, insecticides and fungicides.
Many sulfur compounds are odoriferous, and the smell of odorized natural gas, skunk scent,
grapefruit, and garlic is due to sulfur compounds. Hydrogen sulfide produced by living organisms
imparts the characteristic odor to rotting eggs and other biological processes. Sulfur is an
essential element for all life, and is widely used in biochemical processes. In metabolic reactions,
sulfur compounds serve as both fuels (electron donors) and respiratory (oxygen-alternative)
materials (electron acceptors). Sulfur in organic form is present in the vitamins biotin and
thiamine, the latter being named for the Greek word for sulfur.
Sulfur is an important part of many enzymes and in antioxidant molecules like glutathione and
thioredoxin. Organically bonded sulfur is a component of all proteins, as the amino acidscysteine
and methionine. Disulfide bonds are largely responsible for the mechanical strength and
insolubility of the protein keratin, found in outer skin, hair, and feathers, and the element
contributes to their pungent odor when burned.
Characteristics
Physical properties[edit]
Sulfur forms polyatomic molecules with different chemical formulas, with the best-known

3. allotrope being octasulfur, cyclo-S8. Octasulfur is a soft, bright-yellow solid with only a faint odor,
similar to that of matches.[12]
It melts at 115.21 °C, boils at 444.6 °C and sublimes easily.[3]
At 95.2
°C, below its melting temperature, cyclo-octasulfur changes from α-octasulfur to the β-polymorph.
[13]
The structure of the S8 ring is virtually unchanged by this phase change, which affects the
intermolecular interactions. Between its melting and boiling temperatures, octasulfur changes its
allotrope again, turning from β-octasulfur to γ-sulfur, again accompanied by a lower density but
increased viscosity due to the formation of polymers.[13]
At even higher temperatures, however, the viscosity decreases as depolymerization occurs. Molten
sulfur assumes a dark red color above 200 °C. The density of sulfur is about 2 g·cm−3
, depending
on the allotrope; all of its stable allotropes are excellent electrical insulators.
.
Chemical properties
Sulfur burns with a blue flame concomitant with formation of sulfur dioxide, notable for its
peculiar suffocating odor. Sulfur is insoluble in water but soluble in carbon disulfide and, to a
lesser extent, in other nonpolar organic solvents, such as benzene and toluene. The first and the
second ionization energies of sulfur are 999.6 and 2252 kJ·mol−1
, respectively. Despite such
figures, the +2 oxidation state is rare, with +4 and +6 being more common. The fourth and sixth
ionization energies are 4556 and 8495.8 kJ·mol−1
, the magnitude of the figures caused by electron
transfer between orbitals; these states are only stable with strong oxidants as fluorine, oxygen, and
chlorine.
Isotopes
Sulfur has 25 known isotopes, four of which are stable: 32
S (95.02%), 33
S (0.75%), 34
S (4.21%),
and 36
S (0.02%). Other than 35
S, with a half-life of 87 days and formed in cosmic ray spallation of
40
Ar,
the radioactive isotopes of sulfur have half-lives less than 170 minutes.
When sulfide minerals are precipitated, isotopic equilibration among solids and liquid may cause
small differences in the δS-34 values of co-genetic minerals. The differences between minerals
can be used to estimate the temperature of equilibration. The δC-13 and δS-34 of coexisting
carbonate minerals and sulfides can be used to determine the pH and oxygen fugacity of the ore-
bearing fluid during ore formation.
In most forest ecosystems, sulfate is derived mostly from the atmosphere; weathering of ore
minerals and evaporites contribute some sulfur. Sulfur with a distinctive isotopic composition has
been used to identify pollution sources, and enriched sulfur has been added as a tracer in
hydrologic studies. Differences in the natural abundances can be used in systems where there is
sufficient variation in the 34
S of ecosystem components. Rocky Mountain lakes thought to be
dominated by atmospheric sources of sulfate have been found to have different δ34
S values from
lakes believed to be dominated by watershed sources of sulfate.

4. Natural occurrence
32
S is created inside massive stars, at a depth where the temperature exceeds 2.5×109
K, by the
fusion of one nucleus of silicon plus one
nucleus of helium.[15]
As this is part of the alpha process that produces elements in abundance,
sulfur is the 10th most common element in the universe.
Sulfur, usually as sulfide, is present in many types of meteorites. Ordinary chondrites contain on
average 2.1% sulfur, and carbonaceous chondrites may contain as much as 6.6%. It is normally
present as troilite (FeS), but there are exceptions, with carbonaceous chondrites containing free
sulfur, sulfates and other sulfur compounds.[16]
The distinctive colors of Jupiter'svolcanic moon Io
are attributed to various forms of molten, solid and gaseous sulfur.[17]
On Earth, elemental sulfur can be found near hot springs and volcanic regions in many parts of the
world, especially along the Pacific Ring of Fire; such volcanic deposits are currently mined in
Indonesia, Chile, and Japan. Such deposits are polycrystalline, with the largest documented single
crystal measuring 22×16×11 cm.[18]
Historically, Sicily was a large source of sulfur in the
Industrial Revolution.[19]
Native sulfur is synthesised by anaerobic bacteria acting on sulfate minerals such as gypsum in
salt domes.[20][21]
Significant deposits in salt domes occur along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico,
and in evaporites in eastern Europe and western Asia.
Native sulfur may be produced by geological processes alone. Fossil-based sulfur deposits from
salt domes have until recently been the basis for commercial production in the United States,
Russia, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.[22]
Currently, commercial production is still carried out in the
Osiek mine in Poland. Such sources are now of secondary commercial importance, and most are
no longer worked.
Common naturally occurring sulfur compounds include the sulfide minerals, such as pyrite (iron
sulfide), cinnabar (mercury sulfide), galena (lead sulfide), sphalerite (zinc sulfide) and stibnite
(antimony sulfide); and the sulfates, such as gypsum (calcium sulfate), alunite (potassium
aluminium sulfate), and barite (barium sulfate). On Earth, just as upon Jupiter's moon Io,
elemental sulfur occurs naturally in volcanic emissions, including emissions from hydrothermal
vents.
Production[edit]
Sulfur may be found by itself and historically was usually obtained in this way, while pyrite has
been a source of sulfur via sulfuric acid.[25]
In volcanic regions in Sicily, in ancient times, it was
found on the surface of the Earth, and the "Sicilian process" was used: sulfur deposits were piled
and stacked in brick kilns built on sloping hillsides, with airspaces between them. Then, some
sulfur was pulverized,
spread over the stacked ore and ignited, causing the free sulfur to melt down the hills. Eventually

5. the surface-borne deposits played out, and miners excavated veins that ultimately dotted the
Sicilian landscape with labyrinthine mines. Mining was unmechanized and labor-intensive, with
pickmen freeing the ore from the rock, and mine-boys or carusi carrying baskets of ore to the
surface, often through a mile or more of tunnels. Once the ore was at the surface, it was reduced
and extracted in smelting ovens. The conditions in Sicilian sulfur mines were horrific, prompting
Booker T. Washington to write "I am not prepared just now to say to what extent I believe in a
physical hell in the next world, but a sulphur mine in Sicily is about the nearest thing to hell that I
expect to see in this life.".[26]
Today's sulfur production is as a side product of other industrial processes such as oil refining; in
these processes, sulfur often occurs as undesired or detrimental compounds that are extracted and
converted to elemental sulfur. As a mineral, native sulfur under salt domes is thought to be a fossil
mineral resource, produced by the action of ancient bacteria on sulfate deposits. It was removed
from such salt-dome mines mainly by the Frasch process.[24]
In this method, superheated water
was pumped into a native sulfur deposit to melt the sulfur, and then compressed air returned the
99.5% pure melted product to the surface.
Throughout the 20th century this procedure produced elemental sulfur that required no further
purification. However, due to a limited number of such sulfur deposits and the high cost of
working them, this process for mining sulfur has not been employed in a major way anywhere in
the world since 2002.[27][28]
Today, sulfur is produced from petroleum, natural gas, and related fossil resources, from which it
is obtained mainly as hydrogen sulfide.Organosulfur compounds, undesirable impurities in
petroleum, may be upgraded by subjecting them to hydrodesulfurization, which cleaves the C–S
bonds:[27][28]
R-S-R + 2 H2 → 2 RH + H2S
The resulting hydrogen sulfide from this process, and also as it occurs in natural gas, is converted
into elemental sulfur by the Claus process. This process entails oxidation of some hydrogen
sulfide to sulfur dioxide and then the comproportionation of the two:[27][28]
3 O2 + 2 H2S → 2 SO2 + 2 H2O
SO2 + 2 H2S → 3 S + 2 H2O
Owing to the high sulfur content of the Athabasca Oil Sands, stockpiles of elemental sulfur from
this process now exist throughout Alberta, Canada.[29]
Another way of storing sulfur is as a binder
for concrete,
the resulting product having many desirable properties (see sulfur concrete).[30]
The world production of sulfur in 2011 amounted to 69 million tonnes (Mt), with more than 15
countries contributing more than 1 Mt each. Countries producing more than 5 Mt are China (9.6),
US (8.8), Canada (7.1) and Russia (7.1).[31]
While the production has been slowly increasing from
1900 to 2010, the price was much less stable, especially in the 1980s and around 20.

6. Compounds
Common oxidation states of sulfur range from −2 to +6. Sulfur forms stable compounds with all
elements except the noble gases.
Sulfides[edit]
Treatment of sulfur with hydrogen gives hydrogen sulfide. When dissolved in water, hydrogen
sulfide is mildly acidic:[3]
H2S ‫ـــــــ‬> 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 (see below, under precautions).
Reduction of elemental sulfur gives polysulfides, which consist of chains of sulfur atoms
terminated with S–
centers:
2 Na + S8 → Na2S8
This reaction highlights arguably the single most distinctive property of sulfur: its ability to
catenate (bind to itself by formation of chains).
10 ‫ــ‬
Protonation of these polysulfide anions gives the polysulfanes, H2Sx where x = 2, 3, and 4.[33]
Ultimately reduction of sulfur gives sulfide salts:
16 Na + S8 → 8 Na2S
The interconversion of these species is exploited in the sodium-sulfur battery. The radical anion
S3
–
gives the blue color of the mineral lapis lazuli With very strong oxidants, S8 can be oxidized,
for example, to give bicyclic S8
2+
.
Applications
Sulfuric acid[edit]
Elemental sulfur is mainly used as a precursor to other chemical Approximately 85%
(1989) is converted to sulfuric acid (H2SO4): 2 S + 3 O2 + 2 H2O → 2 H2SO4
With sulfuric acid being of central importance to the world's economies,
its production and consumption is an indicator of a nation's industrial development.[54]
For
example with 32.5 million tonnes in 2010, the United States produces more sulfuric acid every
year than any other inorganic industrial chemical.[32]
The principal use for the acid is the extraction
of phosphate ores for the production of fertilizer manufacturing. Other applications of sulfuric acid
include oil refining, wastewater processing, and mineral extraction.[24]
Fertilizer[edit]
Sulfur is increasingly used as a component of fertilizers. The most important form of sulfur for

7. fertilizer is the mineral calcium sulfate. Elemental sulfur is hydrophobic (that is, it is not soluble in
water) and, therefore, cannot be directly utilized by plants. Over time, soil bacteria can convert it
to soluble derivatives, which can then be utilized by plants. Sulfur improves the use efficiency of
other essential plant nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus.[55]
Biologically produced
sulfur particles are naturally hydrophilic due to a biopolymer coating. This sulfur is, therefore,
easier to disperse over the land (via spraying as a diluted slurry), and results in a faster release.
Plant requirements for sulfur are equal to or exceed those for phosphorus.
It is one of the major nutrients essential for plant growth, root nodule formation of legumes and
plants protection mechanisms. Sulfur deficiency has become widespread in many countries in
Europe.[56][57][58]
Because atmospheric inputs of sulfur continue to decrease, the deficit in the sulfur
input/output is likely to increase, unless sulfur fertilizers are used.
Bactericide in winemaking and food preservation[edit]
Small amounts of sulfur dioxide gas addition (or equivalent potassium metabisulfite addition) to
fermented wine to produce traces of sulfurous acid (produced when SO2 reacts with water) and its
sulfite salts in the mixture, has been called"the most powerful tool in winemaking."[61]
After the
yeast-fermentation stage in winemaking, sulfites absorb oxygen and inhibit aerobic bacterial
growth that otherwise would turn ethanol into acetic acid, souring the wine. Without this
preservative step, indefinite refrigeration of the product before consumption is usually required.
Similar methods go back into antiquity but modern historical mentions of the practice go to the
fifteenth century. The practice is used by large industrial wine producers and small organic wine
producers alike.
Sulfur dioxide and various sulfites have been used for their antioxidant antibacterial preservative
properties in many other parts of the food
industry also. The practice has declined since reports of an allergy-like reaction of some persons to
sulfites in foods.
Oxides and oxyanions
The principal sulfur oxides are obtained by burning sulfur:
S + O2 → SO2
2 SO2 + O2 → 2 SO3
Other oxides are known, e.g. sulfur monoxide and disulfur mono- and dioxides, but they are
unstable.
The sulfur oxides form numerous oxyanions with the formula SOn
2–
. Sulfur dioxide and sulfites
(SO2−
3) are related to the unstable sulfurous acid (H2SO3). Sulfur trioxide and sulfates (SO2−
4) are related to sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid and SO3combine to give oleum, a solution of
pyrosulfuric acid (H2S2O7) in sulfuric acid.
Peroxides convert sulfur into unstable oxides such as S8O, a sulfoxide. Peroxymonosulfuric acid

8. (H2SO5) and peroxydisulfuric acids (H2S2O8), made from the action of SO3 on concentrated H2O2,
and H2SO4 on concentrated H2O2 respectively.Thiosulfate salts (S2O2−3), sometimes referred as
"hyposulfites", used in photographic fixing (HYPO) and as reducing agents, feature sulfur in two
oxidation states.
Sodium dithionite (Na2S2O4), contains the more highly reducing dithionite anion (S
2O2−4).Sodium dithionate (Na2S2O6) contains the dithionate anion (S2O6
2-
) and is the first member
of the polythionic acids(H2SnO6), where n can range from 3 to many. Thiosulfurous acid (HS-
S(=O)-OH) is formed in trace amounts when hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide gases are mixed
at room temperature, but its salts (thiosulfites) are unknown.
Halides and oxyhalides[edit]
The two main sulfur fluorides are sulfur hexafluoride, a dense gas used as nonreactive and
nontoxic propellant, and sulfur tetrafluoride, a rarely used organic reagent that is highly toxic.[32]
Their chlorinated analogs are sulfur dichloride and sulfur monochloride. Sulfuryl chloride and
chlorosulfuric acid are derivatives of sulfuric acid; thionyl chloride (SOCl2) is a common reagent
in organic synthesis.[33]
Pnictides[edit]
An important S–N compound is the cage tetrasulfur tetranitride (S4N4). Heating this compound
gives polymeric sulfur nitride((SN)x), which has metallic properties even though it does not
contain any metal atoms. Thiocyanates contain the SCN−
group.
Oxidation of thiocyanate gives thiocyanogen, (SCN)2 with the connectivity NCS-SCN.
Phosphorus sulfides are numerous, the most important commercially being the cages P4S10 and
P4S3
Metal sulfides
The principal ores of copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, and other metals are sulfides.
These materials tend to be dark-colored semiconductors that are not readily attacked by water or
even many acids. They are formed, both geochemically and in the laboratory, by the reaction of
hydrogen sulfide with metal salts. The mineral galena (PbS) was the first demonstrated
semiconductor and found a use as a signal rectifier in the cat's whiskers of early crystal radios. The
iron sulfide called pyrite, the so-called "fool's gold," has the formula FeS2.[36]
The upgrading of
these ores, usually by roasting, is costly and environmentally hazardous. Sulfur corrodes many
metals via the process called tarnishing
Organic compounds
Some of the main classes of sulfur-containing organic compounds include the following:[37]
1 Thiols or mercaptans (as they are mercury capturers as chelators) are the sulfur analogs
of alcohols; treatment of thiols with base gives thiolate ions.

9. 2
3 Thioethers are the sulfur analogs of ethers.
4 Sulfonium ions have three groups attached to a cationic sulfur center.
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is one such compound, important in the marine
organicsulfur cycle.
5 Sulfoxides and sulfones are thioethers with one and two oxygen atoms attached to the
sulfur atom, respectively. The simplest sulfoxide, dimethyl sulfoxide, is a common solvent; a
common sulfone is sulfolane.
6 Sulfonic acids are used in many detergents.
Compounds with carbon–sulfur bonds are uncommon with the notable exception of carbon
disulfide, a volatile colorless liquid that is structurally similar to carbon dioxide. It is used as a
reagent to make the polymer rayon and many organosulfur compounds. Unlike carbon monoxide,
carbon monosulfide is only stable as a dilute gas, as in the interstellar medium.[38]
Organosulfur compounds are responsible for some of the unpleasant odors of decaying organic
matter. They are used in the odoration of natural gas and cause the odor of garlic and skunk spray.
Not all organic sulfur compounds smell unpleasant at all concentrations: the sulfur-containing
monoterpenoid grapefruit mercaptan in small concentrations is responsible for the characteristic
scent of grapefruit, but has a generic thiol odor at larger concentrations. Sulfur mustard, a potent
vesicant, was used in World War I as a disabling agent.[39]
Sulfur-sulfur bonds are a structural component to stiffen rubber, in a way similar to the biological
role of disulfide bridges to rigidify proteins (see biological below). In the most common type of
industrial "curing" or hardening and strengthening of natural rubber, elemental sulfur is heated
with the rubber to the point that chemical reactions form disulfide bridges between isoprene units
of the polymer. This process, patented in 1843, allowed rubber to become a major industrial
product, especially automobile tires. Because of the heat and sulfur, the process was named
vulcanization, after the Roman god of the forge and volcanism.
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