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Compare Oxygen vs Sulfur

Comparing Oxygen (O) and Sulfur (S). Atomic numbers 8 and 16 with atomic masses 15.999 u and 32.059 u, classified as nonmetal and nonmetal. Below: a side-by-side comparison of their physical, atomic, electron-configuration and historical properties, including density, melting and boiling points, ionization energies, oxidation states and discovery history.

vs
O
Oxygen
#8
S
Sulfur
#16

Periodic properties of the elements

OxygenSulfur
SymbolOS
Atomic number816
Group1616
Period23
Blockpp
Element categoryNonmetalNonmetal

Physical properties

OxygenSulfur
Phase at STPGasSolid
Density1.429 g/cm32.07 g/cm3
Atomic weight15.999 u32.059 u
Melting point54.36 K
-218.79 °C
-361.822 °F		388.36 K
115.21 °C
239.378 °F
Boiling point90.188 K
-182.962 °C
-297.3316 °F		717.8 K
444.65 °C
832.37 °F

Atomic properties

OxygenSulfur
Electronegativity (Pauling Scale)3.442.58
Electron affinity140.976 kJ/mol200.41 kJ/mol
Oxidation states−2, −1, 0, +1, +2
()		−2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6
(a strongly acidic oxide)
Ionization energies
  1. 1313.9 kJ/mol
  2. 3388.3 kJ/mol
  3. 5300.5 kJ/mol
  4. 7469.2 kJ/mol
  5. 10989.5 kJ/mol
  6. 13326.5 kJ/mol
  7. 71330 kJ/mol
  8. 84078 kJ/mol
  1. 999.6 kJ/mol
  2. 2252 kJ/mol
  3. 3357 kJ/mol
  4. 4556 kJ/mol
  5. 7004.3 kJ/mol
  6. 8495.8 kJ/mol
  7. 27107 kJ/mol
  8. 31719 kJ/mol
  9. 36621 kJ/mol
  10. 43177 kJ/mol
  11. 48710 kJ/mol
  12. 54460 kJ/mol
  13. 62930 kJ/mol
  14. 68216 kJ/mol
  15. 311048 kJ/mol
  16. 337138 kJ/mol

Electron configuration

OxygenSulfur
Shorthand configuration[He] 2s2 2p4 [Ne] 3s2 3p4
Full configuration1s2 2s2 2p4 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4
Electrons per shell2, 62, 8, 6

History

OxygenSulfur
DiscoveryCarl Wilhelm Scheele, Joseph Priestley (1774)Middle East (2000 BC)
Named byAntoine Lavoisier (1777)
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