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?

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