Question

What would be the electron dot structure of a molecule of a Sulphur which is made up of eight atoms of Sulphur?

Answer 1

Hint: Start the given question by drawing a structure in which the eight atoms of Sulphur are joined together in the form of a ring. Sulphur has six electrons in the valence shell. Draw the electrons and connect electrons of eight sulphur to form a compound.

Complete step by step answer:
Sulphur is a non-metallic element present in group 16 of the periodic table. It is a chalcogen.
The atomic number (Z) of Sulphur is sixteen. Its electronic configuration is 2, 8, 6. The spdf configuration is as follows –
\[\text{1}{{\text{s}}^{\text{2}}}\text{2}{{\text{s}}^{\text{2}}}\text{2}{{\text{p}}^{\text{6}}}\text{3}{{\text{s}}^{\text{2}}}\text{3}{{\text{p}}^{\text{4}}}\]
As we can see, Sulphur atom has six electrons in its valence shell. Therefore, it needs two more electrons to achieve a stable configuration, i.e. to complete its octet like its nearest noble gas – Argon.
According to the question, we need to find the electron dot structure of a molecule of Sulphur which is made up of eight atoms (of Sulphur).
Therefore, the chemical formula of such a compound will be \[{{\text{S}}_{\text{8}}}\]. In this, each sulphur atom is linked to other sulphur atoms on either side by single covalent bonds to complete its octet.
The electron dot structure can be represented in the following two ways –
The molecule is present in the form of a ring as given below –
(this is the top view)

The molecule can also be represented by a crown shape, as given below –
(this is the side view)

Note: This compound - \[{{\text{S}}_{\text{8}}}\], is also known as Octasulfur. It occurs as a yellow solid that is odorless and tasteless. Octasulfur is the most common allotrope of sulfur. The molecular weight of this compound is 256.5 g/mol.