How do you spell element 16? Sulphur or Sulfur?

Having been part of the education system as a pupil and then a teacher, I have been confronted by the question how do you spell element 16? Sulphur or sulfur?

Even as I write this, the spell check on this blog is underlining the word sulfur to tell me it is wrong!  When auto correct is working it automatically corrects sulfur to sulphur. I have always spelt it sulphur having been told to do so by teachers and lecturers alike over many years, and have cheerfully promoted that spelling with pupils.

However an article on 'the chronicle flask' blog has finally made me change my mind.  It identifies that IUPAC (The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) have deemed the spelling of element to be sulfur, and as they set the rules that is the way it should be.

So element 16 is sulfur!

Click on the picture to read the full article.