Sulfur represents the 16th chemical element of the periodic table of Mendeleyev with alphabetic reference of "S" and with an atomic mass of 32.059 g/mol. She shows the expressed nonmetallic properties and also is in structure of different ions, forming acids and many salts.
Instruction
1. S chemical element was known to mankind in very ancient times when the characteristic suffocating smell of sulfur made it frequent ingredient of shaman and priestly ceremonies. Then sulfur was considered generation of the underground world and infernal gods. Sulfur was mentioned still by Homer, it was a part of so-called "Greek fire" from which in horror opponents ran up, and Chinese used it as a part of composition of gunpowder. Medieval alchemists applied this chemical element when looked for the philosophers' stone, and the simplicity of sulfur to the first was established by Frenchman Lavoisier, having carried out series of experiments on its burning.
2. A word "sulfur" is translated from old Slavic as "pitch", "fat" and "combustible substance", but the etymology of this word is not found out yet finally as it came to Slavs from an all-Slavic adverb. The scientist Fasmer also assumed earlier that the name of chemical element goes back to Latin from which it is translated as "wax" or "serum".
3. Sulfur is widely applied in the modern industry where including from it, make the vulcanized rubber and also agricultural fungicides and medicines (for example, colloidal sulfur). This chemical element also enters into structure of the serobitumny compositions used for obtaining the seroasfalt and a serobeton. Sulfur also is necessary for receiving sulfuric acid.
4. Sulfur significantly differs from the majority of other chemical elements including from oxygen on the ability of an obrazovyvaniye of steady chains and long atomic cycles. Actually crystal sulfur represents very fragile substance of bright yellow color, there is also a brownish plastic sulfur which is received by sharp cooling of sulfuric alloy. This chemical element is not dissolved in water, but several its modifications possess to these properties on condition of their placing in organic solvents (carbon sulfur or turpentine). When melting, sulfur significantly increases in volume, and after melting represents easily mobile liquid with a temperature more than 160 degrees Celsius. After that chemical element "is transformed" to quite viscous mass of dark brown color, but the greatest threshold of viscosity of an element – temperature in 190 degrees Celsius at which increase to 300 degrees it becomes mobile again.