Sulfur Cycle
Human
impact
Storage
areas
Sulfur
reactions
Inoranic
and
organic
Pathway of
movement
Britt Gumerman & Olivia Kolditz
Impact of Human Intervention
Refining sulfur-containing
petroleum to make
gasoline, heating oil, and
other useful products.
Burning sulfurcontaining coal and
oil to produce
electric power.
Since the Industrial
Revolution, human
activities have
contributed to the
amount of sulfur that
enters the
atmosphere.
Using smelting to convert
sulfur compounds of
metallic minerals into free
metals such as copper,
lead, and zinc
The sulfur released by humans such as
sulfur dioxides and sulfur aerosols also
results in acid rain
Result of acid rain
Reaction to sulfur with air
Sulfur burns in air to form the gaseous dioxide sulfur(IV) oxide, SO2.
S8(s) + 8O2(g) → 8SO2(g)
Reaction of sulfur with water
Sulfur does not react with water under normal conditions.
Reaction of sulfur with the halogens
Sulfur reacts with all the halogens upon heating.
Sulfur reacts with fluorine, F2, and burns to form the
hexafluoride sulfur(VI) fluoride.
S8(s) + 24F2(g) → 8SF6(l) [orange]
Reaction of sulfur with acids
Sulfur does not react with dilute non-oxidizing acids.
Reaction of sulfur with bases
Sulfur reacts with hot aqueous potassium hydroxide, KOH, to form sulfide and
thiosulphate species.
S8(s) + 6KOH(as) → 2K2S3 + K2S2O3 + 3H2O(l)
1)Terrestrial rocks
2) Ocean sediments
Terrestrial rock
Ocean sediments
•Sodium dithionite, Na2S2O4
•Thioethers
•Thiosulfates (S2O32−)
•Sulfonium
•Thiols
•Sulfides (S2−)
•Sulfites (SO32−)
•Thiolates
•Sulfoxides
•Sulfones
•Sulfates (SO42−)
Located in acid deposits
Located in Earth’s crust