Editing Period 3 element (section)

=== Sulfur ===
{{Main|Sulfur}}
''Sulfur'' (symbol '''S''') is an [[Abundance of the chemical elements|abundant]] [[Valence (chemistry)|multivalent]] nonmetal, one of [[chalcogen]]s. Under [[Standard temperature and pressure|normal conditions]], sulfur atoms form [[octasulfur|cyclic octatomic molecules]] with chemical formula S<sub>8</sub>. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow [[crystal]]line solid when at room temperature. Chemically, sulfur can react as either an [[oxidant]] or a [[reducing agent]]. It oxidizes most [[metal]]s and several [[Nonmetal (chemistry)|nonmetal]]s, including carbon, which leads to its negative charge in most [[organosulfur compound]]s, but it reduces several strong oxidants, such as [[oxygen]] and [[fluorine]].

In nature, sulfur can be found as the pure element and as [[sulfide]] and [[sulfate]] minerals. Elemental sulfur crystals are commonly sought after by mineral collectors for their brightly colored [[polyhedron]] shapes. Being abundant in native form, sulfur was known in ancient times, mentioned for its uses in [[ancient Greece]], [[History of China#Ancient China|China]] and [[ancient Egypt|Egypt]]. Sulfur fumes were used as fumigants, and sulfur-containing medicinal mixtures were used as balms and antiparasitics. Sulfur is referenced in the [[Bible]] as '''brimstone''' in [[English language|English]], with this name still used in several nonscientific terms.<ref name=Greenwd>Greenwood, N. N.; & Earnshaw, A. (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd Edn.), Oxford:Butterworth-Heinemann. {{ISBN|0-7506-3365-4}}.</ref> Sulfur was considered important enough to receive its own [[alchemical symbol]]. It was needed to make the best quality of [[gunpowder|black gunpowder]], and the bright yellow powder was hypothesized by alchemists to contain some of the properties of gold, which they sought to synthesize from it. In 1777, [[Antoine Lavoisier]] helped convince the scientific community that sulfur was a basic element, rather than a compound.

Elemental sulfur was once extracted from [[salt dome]]s, where it sometimes occurs in nearly pure form, but this method has been obsolete since the late 20th century. Today, almost all elemental sulfur is produced as a byproduct of removing sulfur-containing contaminants from [[natural gas]] and [[petroleum]]. The element's commercial uses are primarily in [[fertilizer]]s, because of the relatively high requirement of plants for it, and in the manufacture of [[sulfuric acid]], a primary industrial chemical. Other well-known uses for the element are in [[match]]es, [[insecticide]]s and [[fungicide]]s. Many sulfur compounds are odiferous, and the smell of odorized natural gas, skunk scent, grapefruit, and garlic is due to sulfur compounds. [[Hydrogen sulfide]] produced by living organisms imparts the characteristic odor to rotting eggs and other biological processes.