Question

When a sulfur (s) atom becomes an ion, what charge does it usually have?

Answer 1

Well, sulfur is a Group 16 NON-METAL...

Explanation:

And thus we might expect its chemistry to mirror that of oxygen, which commonly forms an `O^(2-)` ion. And while other oxidation states are available, sulfur does readily form sulfide ion, `S^(2-)`...……..

`S(s) + 2e^(-) rarr S^(2-)`

Under oxidizing conditions, we could access sulfate dianion, i.e.

`S(s) +4H_2Orarr SO_4^(2-)+8H^+ +6e^(-)`