The most common form of elemental sulfur is S8, in which eight sulfur atoms linked in a ring of single bonds. At high temperature, in the gas phase, S8 can break apart to give S2, the sulfur analog of molecular oxygen:
S8(g) 4S2(g) ΔH = +239 kJ at T = 800 K
Using the appropriate data in Table 3-2 S-S 240 calculate the S=S double-bond energy (in kJ/mol) in S2(g).