Why do we not represent elemental sulfur as #S_8#?

1 Answer
anor277
May 20, 2017

Because the arithmetic is easier?

Explanation:

We could write..........

#2H_2S(g) + SO_2(g) rarr 3/8S_8 +2H_2O#

for the #"comproportionation reaction"#. Is it balanced with respect to mass and charge? Don't trust my 'rithmetic. But sulfur is an insoluble beast, that is poorly soluble in just about everything. And if you use a fractional coefficient, you might die! How would you remove the fractional coefficient?

Related questions
See all questions in Review of Elements and Compounds
Impact of this question
1433 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License