disulfur

Disulfur is the diatomic molecule consisting of two sulfur atoms with the formula S2. It is analogous to the dioxygen molecule but rarely occurs at room temperature. This violet gas is the dominant species in hot sulfur vapors. S2 is one of the minor components of the atmosphere of Io, which is predominantly composed of SO2. The instability of S2 is usually described in the context of the double bond rule.

==Synthesis== This violet gas is generated by heating sulfur and is the predominant species above 720 °C, comprising 80% of all vapor species at 530°C and 100 mm Hg, and 99% of the vapor at low pressure (1 mm Hg) at 730 °C.