Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium

Sulfur is one of the old-time fuels of fireworks—abundantly available, cheap, safe to handle, nontoxic, of good stability, easily ignitible. It is not useful for achieving very high temperature or high caloric output, and dissipates heat, since the products of combustion are gaseous. 

The major uses of sulfur are for black powder, railroad fusees 

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The pure acid does not react in the cold with sulfur, selenium, tellurium, carbon, silver, copper, zinc, iron, chromium, or manganese, but slowly dissolves mercury and tin (20). At higher temperatures, lead, mercury, tin, and sulfur react rapidly, eg ... 

The stabihty of organic chalcogen compounds decreases mosdy ia the order sulfur > selenium > tellurium. 

E. Reactions with Sulfur, Selenium, tellurium. Phosphorus, AND Arsenic Derivatives... 

The magnetic criterion is particularly valuable because it provides a basis for differentiating sharply between essentially ionic and essentially electron-pair bonds Experimental data have as yet been obtained for only a few of the interesting compounds, but these indicate that oxides and fluorides of most metals are ionic. Electron-pair bonds are formed by most of the transition elements with sulfur, selenium, tellurium, phosphorus, arsenic and antimony, as in the sulfide minerals (pyrite, molybdenite, skutterudite, etc.). The halogens other than fluorine form electron-pair bonds with metals of the palladium and platinum groups and sometimes, but not always, with iron-group metals. 

Murray CB, Norris DJ, Bawendi MG (1993) Synthesis and characterization of nearly monodisperse CdE (E = sulfur, selenium, tellurium) semiconductor nanocrystaUites. J Am Chem Soc 115 8706-8715... 

Reaction of germylenes with elemental chalcogens (sulfur, selenium, tellurium) also allowed the synthesis of stable >Ge = E species. This was first exemplified by the isolation of terminal chalcogenido complexes of germanium 170152 and 171-173153 (Scheme 34). Stabilization in these cases is achieved by intramolecular complexation of the metal atom by Lewis bases. 

Toxicity Variable. The hydrides of phosphorus, arsenic, sulfur, selenium, tellurium and boron which are highly toxic, produce local irritation and destroy red blood cells. They are particularly dangerous because of their volatility and ease of entry into the body. The hydrides of the alkali metals, alkaline earths, aluminum, zirconium and titanium react with moisture to evolve hydrogen and leave behind the hydroxide of the metallic element. This hydroxide is usually caustic. See also sodium hydroxide... 

R. C. Brasted, Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 8, Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium, Polonium, and Oyygen, D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, N.J.,... 

Sulfur, selenium, tellurium and polonium constitute the heavier elements of group VIB of the periodic table and are sometimes referred to as the chalcogens, chalcogenins, chalcogenides or chalconides. Developments in the understanding and interest in the chemistry of these elements have been reviewed at appropriate intervals during the past 20 years.1-8... 

Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium and Polonium Table 1 Compounds of Group VI Elements and their Stereochemistries... 

SST(3)728 J. Fabian Org. Compd. Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium, 1975,3,728. 752... 

Elimination of sulfur, selenium, tellurium compounds Selenoxides... 

The group 6A elements are oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium. As shown in Table 19.7, their properties exhibit the usual periodic trends. Both oxygen and sulfur are typical nonmetals. Selenium and tellurium are primarily non-metallic in character, though the most stable allotrope of selenium, gray selenium, is a lustrous semiconducting solid. Tellurium is also a semiconductor and is usually classified as a semimetal. Polonium, a radioactive element that occurs in trace amounts in uranium ores, is a silvery white metal. 

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