Also, if possible, could anyone help describe what happens to sulfur atoms as sulfur (powder) is slowly heated and then poured into cold water? how do the particles behave?
2007-04-08 13:03:37 · 2 answers · asked by Alta 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Sorry- surface area has nothing to do with it. Sulfur at room temperature consists of rings of 8 sulfur atoms. Heating to about 115 Celsius melts it to a clear yellow liquid of these S8 rings. As it is heated these rings open up and join ends to give a thicker, brown liquid of sulfur chains. If you pour this liquid sulfur into water, cooling it quickly, the chains remain, giving you 'polymeric sulfur' with properties like, say polyethylene, which also has chains of atoms. The chains in this plastic sulfur slowly go back to the 8-atom rings, giving the brittle, crystalline, product you started with.
2007-04-08 16:50:16 · answer #1 · answered by James F 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The behavior of a substance will be affected by its surface area. This is what contacts other substances.
Rhonbic and polymeric sulfur will have a different ratio of surface area to mass.
2007-04-08 20:29:10 · answer #2 · answered by reb1240 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋