Sulfur
Sulfur is a nonmetal commonly seen as a yellow solid, occurring in minerals and essential biological compounds.
Sulfur connects minerals, proteins and the chemistry of durable rubber.
Explore Sulfur's atom- Atomic number
- 16
- Standard atomic weight
- [32.059, 32.076]
- Family
- Nonmetal
- Period
- 3
- Group
- 16
- Standard state
- Solid
In everyday life
Sulfur is used to cross-link rubber; some amino acids contain sulfur.
Something to remember
The familiar smell of rotten eggs comes from hydrogen sulfide, rather than pure sulfur.
Meet its electrons
[Ne] 3s2 3p4
Published neutral-atom ground-state configuration; excited atoms and ions can differ.
Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 6.
The playground shows an illustrative shell model. Real electrons are described by quantum orbitals, rather than tiny planets traveling along fixed paths.
A connection to explore
Sulfur forms cross-links between carbon-containing chains when rubber is vulcanised.
Meet Carbon (C)Properties and conditions
- Standard atomic weight
- [32.059, 32.076]CIAAW 2024 standard atomic weight (dimensionless). The interval reflects variation in normal terrestrial isotope compositions, not measurement uncertainty. Source flags: none.CIAAW standard atomic weights ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Standard state
- SolidPubChem classification, including explicit predictions where stated. Reference temperature and pressure are not supplied in the table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- First ionisation energy
- 10.360 eVEnergy to remove the first electron from an isolated neutral gas-phase atom. Uncertainty is not supplied.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Electronegativity
- 2.58 Pauling scaleA dimensionless relative measure; values depend on the chosen scale. Uncertainty is not supplied.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Melting point
- 388.36 KPubChem reported value. Pressure, allotrope and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; consult the cited source.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Boiling point
- 717.75 KPubChem reported value. Pressure and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; consult the cited source.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Density
- 2.067 g/cm³PubChem reported value. Temperature, pressure, allotrope and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; gas densities are especially condition-dependent.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Oxidation states
- +6, +4, -2Selected PubChem oxidation states; formal electron bookkeeping, not a list of stable free-ion charges or every possible compound.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Discovery
- AncientPubChem discovery attribution. Ancient knowledge and competing priority claims cannot always be represented by a single year.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Atomic radius
- 180 pmPubChem tabulated radius. Radius definitions depend on bonding and convention; measurement definition and uncertainty are not supplied in this table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Electron affinity
- 2.077 eVPubChem reported gas-phase electron affinity. Sign conventions and electronic states matter; uncertainty is not supplied in this table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
Isotopes, abundance and decay
Isotopes share a proton count but have different neutron counts. This selection includes naturally tabulated compositions and a reference isotope for other elements. It is not a list of every known isotope.
Explore 4 isotopes of S
| Isotope | Relative atomic mass | Natural fraction | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-32 | 31.9720711744(14) | 0.9499(26) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| S-33 | 32.9714589098(15) | 0.0075(2) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| S-34 | 33.967867004(47) | 0.0425(24) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| S-36 | 35.96708071(20) | 0.0001(1) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
Fractions use NIST’s terrestrial isotopic compositions, which can vary by sample. Parentheses denote uncertainty in the last digits. Half-lives and decay branches use NUBASE2020; # marks estimates, >/< mark limits. “No decay observed” follows that evaluation and does not prove permanent stability. Decay branch intensities are percentages; SF means spontaneous fission, EC electron capture, IT an isomeric transition.
Follow the science
Use these original references to explore the data and context. Atomic weights can vary with isotope composition; values for elements without stable isotopes may describe a representative isotope rather than a standard atomic weight.