Sulfur or sulphur (see spelling differences) is a chemical element with symbol S and atomic number 16. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8.
Three reasons Sulfur stands out
- 1
Forms compounds with a characteristic smell.
- 2
It burns with a vivid blue flame, producing a choking gas called sulfur dioxide.
- 3
Referred to as "brimstone" in the Bible, it was historically associated with hellfire and volcanoes.
Fire, minerals, and the smell of chemistry
Pure sulfur is a yellow solid, but many notorious sulfur smells actually belong to its compounds. Volcanoes deposit it around vents, organisms build it into certain amino acids, and industry converts vast quantities into sulfuric acid. Few manufactured chemicals are as economically central as that acid.