However, in comparison to oxygen, which has the same valency as sulphur, sulphur’s atomic size is relatively large. It can be observed that the atomic size, in general, decreases across the periods and increases down the groups of the periodic table. Analysing sulphur’s position and the trends in the periodic table, we can safely predict that sulphur has a small atomic size compared to most elements of the periodic table.įigure 2: Periodic Table of Elements: Atomic size (source: ) Sulphur has 16 protons, 3 energy levels, and 6 electrons in the outer energy level giving it an electron configuration of 1s² 2s², 2p⁶, 3s², 3p⁴. Number of energy levels containing electrons.Number of protons(nuclear charge) in the nucleus. The atomic size trends observed in the periodic table have to do with three factors: “Atomic size represents the mean distance from the nucleus to the boundary of the surrounding cloud of electrons.” It is also referred to as the atomic radius. What determines the stability of S 8? Discussion: Sulphur rings of 6, 7, 9–15, 18 and 20 atoms are known but are less stable. Sulphur has over 30 allotropes including disulphur. The most abundant form of sulphur (α-sulphur, which is thermodynamically stable) is the orthorhombic polymorph of S 8, having a \”crown\” structure. Some elements are monatomic while others exist as molecules in their elemental forms such as hydrogen (H 2), oxygen (O 2, O 3), chlorine (Cl 2), nitrogen(N 2), and sulphur (S 8). Polarisability, Catenation, London Dispersion Forces, Bond Energy, Double Bond Rule, VSEPR Theory Introduction: However, the objective of this article is to identify the reason behind the existence of sulphur in the octa-atomic form at RTP. These are less common and are found in more severe temperature and pressure conditions. It is important to note that sulphur has a variety of other structural forms in terms of the number or arrangement of atoms. The question is why, in normal conditions, can it not exist as a molecule consisting of 2,3 or even more than 8 atoms while oxygen, having the same valency as sulphur, exists predominantly as a di-atomic elementary molecule. One of the most intriguing properties of sulphur is that at room temperature and normal pressure conditions (RTP), it exists as an elementary molecule made up of 8 atoms. Sulphur has a unique position in the periodic table just as the other elements. One of the most common ways of classifying elements is as metals, nonmetals and metalloids. However, elements can be classified into different categories based on some specific criteria. Each of them has unique properties differentiating it from the other. Therefore, there are various non-equivalent definitions of atomic radius.The periodic table is composed of 118 discovered elements. However, this assumes the atom to exhibit a spherical shape, which is only obeyed for atoms in vacuum or free space. The atomic radius of a chemical element is a measure of the distance out to which the electron cloud extends from the nucleus. It must be noted, atoms lack a well-defined outer boundary. The atomic radius of Sulfur atom is 105pm (covalent radius). Note that, each element may contain more isotopes, therefore this resulting atomic mass is calculated from naturally-occuring isotopes and their abundance. The atomic mass is carried by the atomic nucleus, which occupies only about 10 -12 of the total volume of the atom or less, but it contains all the positive charge and at least 99.95% of the total mass of the atom. The atomic mass or relative isotopic mass refers to the mass of a single particle, and therefore is tied to a certain specific isotope of an element. Mass numbers of typical isotopes of Sulfur are 23 33 34 36. Isotopes are nuclides that have the same atomic number and are therefore the same element, but differ in the number of neutrons. The difference between the neutron number and the atomic number is known as the neutron excess: D = N – Z = A – 2Z.įor stable elements, there is usually a variety of stable isotopes. Neutron number plus atomic number equals atomic mass number: N+Z=A. The total number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom is called the neutron number of the atom and is given the symbol N. The total electrical charge of the nucleus is therefore +Ze, where e (elementary charge) equals to 1,602 x 10 -19 coulombs. Total number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number of the atom and is given the symbol Z. Sulfur is a chemical element with atomic number 16 which means there are 16 protons in its nucleus. Atomic Number – Protons, Electrons and Neutrons in Sulfur
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