Why is copper a good conductor, but sulphur is not?

Answer 1

To put it most simply, Copper is a metal and sulphur is a nonmetal. Metals are better conductors of electricity. If you want to know why metals are better conductors than nonmetals, you should look up band theory.

Answer 2

To put it simply, copper, like most metal, has a fairly low electronegativity, that means it is not eager to capture electrons, actually, it is quite happy to see the valance electrons go about in the general area instead of staying bound to the atom itself. This make most metal conductive as an incoming electron can be taken as replacement without too much of a fuss, hence electron from the neighbor replaces the one from this atom, and the one from this can go a bit further and so on.
On the other hand, sulfur has a fairly high electronegativity; this means that not only it wants to keep its own electrons close by, it can gladly accept other electrons as well, to complete its outer layer. Not being eager to pass on an electron, and even capturing those that come too close can be seen as the mark of a poor electrical conductor.

Answer 3

Conductors have 1,2 or 3 valence electrons, semiconductors have 4, non conductors have 5 to 8.

Answer 4

metals essentially have an electron pool. Their atoms form together in such a way that there is a pool of electrons on the outer rim of the valence shells. Metals are filling either their d shell electrons or their f shell electrons.

Sulfur is filling p shell. That simply means that metals have more electrons to move about than do non metals.

Kind of simplistic answer. Band theory is not a bad suggestion.

Answer 5

Can't find any info online, but my guess is that it would be a weak conductor. .