Sulfur has an atomic number of 16, which means it has 16 electrons. The electron configuration for sulfur is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴. In its outermost shell (the third shell), sulfur has six valence electrons.
To determine how many covalent bonds sulfur can form, we look at how it can achieve stability, typically by reaching eight electrons in its valence shell (the octet rule). Since sulfur has six valence electrons, it needs to gain or share two more electrons to complete its outer shell. This sharing of electrons occurs when sulfur forms covalent bonds.
Therefore, sulfur can form a total of two covalent bonds. This ability allows sulfur to bond with a variety of other elements, including oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, in different chemical compounds.