Question

What is the difference between sulphur and sulphate.

Answer 1

Hint :You must have seen Sulphur placed in the 16th group and 3rd period in the periodic table. As sulphur doesn’t exist in the pure form in nature, it forms various compounds. Sulphate, sulphite, and sulphide are the compounds formed by the bonding between sulphur and oxygen.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
We’ll individually see what Sulphur and Sulphate are:
Sulphur or sulphur is the element with atomic number 16 and symbol as ‘S’. It only consists of sulphur atoms and is a neutral atom with no charge. Sulphur is an essential and 10th most abundant element in the universe. It is non-metallic. Sulphur reacts with all the elements except for platinum, gold, and noble gases. Sulphur has many valencies, hence multivalent and can form cyclic molecules like S8. The oxidation state of sulphur is +4.
On the other hand,
Sulphate or sulfate is an anion (negatively charged) formed by elemental sulphur and oxygen with the chemical formula $S{O}_4{{}^2}^{-}$ . It’s a polyatomic ion and the salt of sulphuric acid. The salts, peroxides, and acid derivatives of sulphur are most commonly and widely used in the chemical industry. It is the most occurring compound of sulphur in nature. The oxidation state of Sulphur in sulphate is +6.

Note :
The ions of Sulphur form anions and have negative charges on them. For example, sulphide, sulphite has a di- negative (-2) charge on it. Although sulphur is a non-metal in the elemental form it is a bright, crystalline ,yellow solid substance at room temperature.