Octasulfur

Octasulfur is the eight-atom sulfur molecule S₈, the most common molecular form of elemental sulfur under ordinary conditions. Its atoms form a puckered ring.

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Sulfur: Sulfur is a chemical element with atomic number 16 and several solid and liquid allotropes. Octasulfur is one molecular form of this element.
Cyclo-S₈: Cyclo-S₈ is the crown-shaped eight-membered sulfur ring found in common crystalline sulfur. Its puckered geometry is the characteristic structure of ordinary octasulfur.
Vulcanization: Vulcanization is the treatment of rubber with sulfur or other curatives to create cross-links between polymer chains. S₈ supplies sulfur for cross-linking rubber, though industrial formulations control its reactivity.
Cyclo-S₆: Cyclo-S₆ is a six-atom sulfur ring found in some sulfur compounds and metastable elemental sulfur forms. Its smaller ring contrasts with the prevalent eight-membered elemental sulfur ring.
Chemical bond: A chemical bond is an interaction that holds atoms together in molecules and solids. Sulfur–sulfur bonds connect the eight atoms in the ring.
Orthorhombic sulfur: Orthorhombic sulfur is a crystalline form of sulfur built mainly from cyclo-S₈ molecules. It is the stable crystalline form of S₈ at ordinary temperatures.
Sulfuric acid: Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the formula H₂SO₄ and a major industrial chemical. Burning elemental sulfur, commonly sourced from S₈, produces sulfur dioxide for acid manufacture.
Cyclo-S₁₂: Cyclo-S₁₂ is a twelve-atom sulfur ring known as a molecular allotrope of elemental sulfur. This larger ring demonstrates that elemental sulfur can form rings other than S₈.
Covalent bond: A covalent bond forms when atoms share electron pairs. The atoms in S₈ are linked by covalent sulfur–sulfur bonds.
Monoclinic sulfur: Monoclinic sulfur is a crystalline sulfur phase composed chiefly of S₈ rings, stable over a limited temperature range. Heating orthorhombic sulfur produces this higher-temperature S₈ crystal form.