Oxygen vs Sulfur
Oxygen and Sulfur sit in the same column of the periodic table — same family, one period apart — so almost every difference between them comes from one thing: the extra electron shell Sulfur wears.
Side by side
| Property | Oxygen | Sulfur |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | O | S |
| Atomic number (Z) | 8 | 16 |
| Atomic mass | 15.999 u | 32.06 u |
| Category | Nonmetal | Nonmetal |
| Group | 16 | 16 |
| Period | 2 | 3 |
| Phase at room temp | gas | solid |
| Electron configuration | [He] 2s^2 2p^4 | [Ne] 3s^2 3p^4 |
| Valence electrons | 6 | 6 |
| Atomic radius | 48 pm | 88 pm |
| Electronegativity | 3.44 | 2.58 |
| First ionisation energy | 1314 kJ/mol | 1000 kJ/mol |
The verdicts
- Bigger atom: Sulfur — the lower an element sits in its group, the more shells it wears.
- Greedy electron-taker: Oxygen — higher electronegativity means it pulls shared electrons harder.
- Heavier: Sulfur — compare the atomic masses in the table above.
Want the visual version with bars for radius, electronegativity and ionisation energy? Open the interactive compare tool with this pair already loaded.