The relative atomic mass of chlorine is higher than of sulphur yet it is a gas where as sulphur is a solid.plz

Question

thanks

Answer 1

In nature, Chlorine gas exists as a gas and Sulphur exists as a solid.

This is because Chlorine gas (Cl2) is made up of 2 chlorine atoms being covalently joined together. However, sulphur does not occur singly as an atom. It exists as 8 sulphur atoms covalently joined together in a ring-like structure. Hence, the Relative molecular mass of Sulphur is much higher than that of chlorine and it exists as a solid at room temperature.

In chemical equations, we do not write the formula of sulphur as S8 but we write it as S instead. That could be what that caused your confusion.

Answer 2

Chlorine is in Group 17 or VII. It achieves the octet by making a single bond, so it forms Cl2 molecules. These are nonpolar, and attract each other only by very weak forces, so it is a gas.

Sulfur bonds to two neighbours, and can do this in a number of ways. The most common one is in an eight-membered crown-shaped ring. Because this is now a much larger molecule, the forces between the molecules are larger, so it is a solid.