The Group 6A elements, notably oxygen and sulfur, play vital roles in our lives. Oxygen is essential for life sustenance, while sulfur contributes to protein structures in all living organisms. Despite its significance, emissions of sulfur compounds are often viewed as environmental issues rather than natural phenomena. As the atomic number increases, the metallic properties of these elements also increase. Polonium, with no stable isotopes, has an isotope (mass number 209) with a half-life of 103 years.
While oxygen’s properties differ significantly from other group members, they all possess 2 electrons in the outer s orbital and 4 electrons in the p orbitals (s2p4 configuration). Understanding these trends allows predicting their reactions with other elements, mostly influenced by atomic size and the number of electrons per atom.
Key trends include the increase in metallic properties from oxygen to polonium, with polonium essentially behaving as a metal. Electronegativity, ionization energy, and electron affinity decrease as atomic weight increases. Additionally, atomic radii and melting points show an increasing trend.
The trends are described below:
- The metallic properties increase in the order oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, or polonium. Polonium is essentially a metal. It was discovered by M. Curie, who name it after her native country Poland.
- Electronegativity, ionization energy (or ionization potential IP), and electron affinity decrease for the group as atomic weight increases.
- The atomic radii and melting point increase.
- Oxygen differs from sulfur in chemical properties due to its small size. The differences between O and S are more than the differences between other members.
Sulfur, a pale yellow, odorless, brittle solid, is insoluble in water but dissolves in carbon disulfide. It’s crucial to life, found in minor amounts in fats, body fluids, and skeletal minerals.
Throughout history, sulfur has been integral. It accidentally led to the creation of vulcanized rubber when Charles Goodyear dropped a rubber and sulfur mixture into a fire in 1839. In the past, mothers in Britain gave children sulfur and molasses as a tonic. Today, Sulfa drugs combat bacterial infections like meningitis, and sulfur ointments treat skin infections.
Used by ancient civilizations, sulfur found applications in paints, linen bleaching, gunpowder, disinfection, and medicine. Today, a significant portion of sulfur production goes into making sulfuric acid, pivotal in fertilizer, battery, and industrial manufacturing processes. It’s also used in vulcanizing rubber, as an insecticide, in gunpowder manufacture, and as a dyeing agent.
Sulfur forms various compounds like hydrogen sulfide (H2S), responsible for the smell of rotten eggs, and sulfur dioxide (SO2), used as a bleaching agent, solvent, disinfectant, and refrigerant. Combined with water, sulfur dioxide forms sulfurous acid, a key component of acid rain.
Sulfur’s presence extends far beyond its physical properties. It’s a part of living tissues, fixed into proteins in plants and acquired by animals consuming these plants. Found in the Milky Way, Earth’s crust, oceans, and even meteorites, sulfur is abundant. It’s present in foods like onions, eggs, cauliflower, and soybean flour, existing in humans, chickens, and sheep.
Used in matches and fireworks for its easy combustion, sulfur’s ancient moniker, “brimstone,” means “the stone that burns.” Its multifaceted applications showcase its importance in industry and nature alike.
Did You Know?
- Sulphur is the 10th most abundant element in the Milky Way Galaxy. It is found in the earth’s crust, in the ocean and even in meteorites.
- 55 percent of Sulphur is used in the production of Fertilizer. 45 percent is used in producing commercial products.
- Sulphur is found in foods – onions, eggs, cauliflower, and soybean flour.
- Sulphur is found in humans, chickens, and sheep.
- Sulphur is used in matches and fireworks because it burns easily. Its ancient name “brimstone” means “the stone that burns”.