Sulphur or sulfur ?

Which is correct? Sulphur or sulfur

  • Sulphur

    Votes: 127 93.4%

  • Sulfur

    Votes: 9 6.6%
  • Total voters
    136
  • Poll closed .
Without looking it up I know that normal people use ph but chemists are supposed to use f. I guess it's a quid pro quo for getting our spelling of aluminium in :)

Pete
 
prv said:
I guess it's a quid pro quo for getting our spelling of aluminium in :)
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The use of "aluminum" is more than just American sloppiness. When Humphry Davy was trying to isolate the metal 200 years ago he gave it precisely that name, so you can blame a Cornishman, not the Yanks. It was later officially named "aluminium" to bring it into line with other usages (although molybdenum, to name but one, already had, and continues to have, the "-um" ending).
 
Scientists enjoy changing names. When I studied chemistry C2H4 was ethylene, now it's ethene. When my daughter had her appendix out I spoke to the doctor's receptionist about her appendectomy and the snotty cow corrected me saying 'it's appendicectomy'.

Don't get me started on a billion losing 3 zeros.
 
The correct answer, by International Agreement, is sulfur. However, I'd still use the traditional spelling in non-technical writing, just as I use haematite for the mineral; in the same way, the international agreement is hematite.
 
John.edwards said:
not just the royal society of chemistry i'm afraid. IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry - the world authority on chemical nomenclature, terminology, standardized methods for measurement, atomic weights and other critically evaluated data ; http://www.iupac.org/) says Sulfur :)
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Yes, but loads of text books and common usage still make it sulphur. It was changed to avoid people becoming confused. Perhaps they should stick to Media studies and leave Chemistry alone.

I think teaching in schools simplifies equations using "Word Equations". It just means kids won't learn universally understood form for these equations.
 
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Its sulphur just as its a window Sill NOT CILL thats a gaelic version of the latin cell.
Suprising how many double glazing firms use window cills.
 
VicS said:
Which did you think was correct? ...... before checking Wikipedia or the latest interactive Periodic Table from the Royal Society of Chemistry. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table.
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No question. The English spelling has ph in it - the other is yanky vernacular. Why the RSC has erred on that and spelled aluminium in the English way I do not know.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the different american spellings were the result of a serious planned exercise to make more sensible the weird english spellings, and not just divergent cultures. And I also seem to remember that aluminium was discovered by a yank and the historically correct spelling is the yankee one.
 
matelot said:
No question. The English spelling has ph in it - the other is yanky vernacular. Why the RSC has erred on that and spelled aluminium in the English way I do not know.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the different american spellings were the result of a serious planned exercise to make more sensible the weird english spellings, and not just divergent cultures. And I also seem to remember that aluminium was discovered by a yank and the historically correct spelling is the yankee one.
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Nope, as mentioned earlier it was attributed to Sir Humphry Davy (of Gas lamp fame) who first identified that there was a metal in alum (hence various names all starting alum...).

Certainly not an American, though unusual at that time in that is was a Cornishman and not a Scot. Though I'm certain a bit more digging will reveal it was actually discovered by a Russian.
 
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