Sulphur
Has there ever been a chemical element more menacing than Sulphur? This shape-shifting substance can spark an explosion, brew a poison gas and concoct smells so horrible they send any nose fleeing. Yet without Sulphur there is no life.
Represented by letter S in the periodic table, Sulphur is a non-metallic solid that is one of the few elements to occur in nature in pure form. It is the tenth most abundant element in the universe and about three percent of the earth's mass is made up of Sulphur (the equivalent of two times the size of our moon).
Sulphur is also the third most abundant element in the human body. It builds and repairs DNA and protects cells from damage. It helps the body break down, absorb and use food. Sulphur even provides strength and hydration to skin, tendons and ligaments.
Sulphur or Sulfur? Both spellings of the word are correct. Sulfur is the American spelling and Sulphur, the British.
Historically Sulphur has been known as "brimstone" or burning stone. As a solid and gas, Sulphur appears yellow. And when it burns it is with a blue flame.
Some of the worst smells in the world can be traced back to Sulphur, even though Sulphur itself is odourless. It is when it gets together with other elements to form a compound, that things get pungent! Hydrogen sulphide is responsible for the distinct odour that is rotten egg. It is also the gas that is released when your food is digesting, causing those smelly burps! Mercaptans (composed of carbon, hydrogen and sulphur) give skunks their defensive stink.
Sulphur also acts as a source of energy. Deep within dark Sulphur spring caves, bacteria draw energy from Sulphur compounds to make their own food. The walls of the caves are coated with slimy mats of bacteria scientists call 'snotties". These unusual stalactites drip sulphuric acid strong enough to burn skin or eat through clothing.
Sulphur atoms are strongly attracted to other Sulphur atoms and when heated they form long chains that provide a plasticity that has been invaluable to industry. In the 19th century, Charles Goodyear added Sulphur to rubber tree sap to create a firm material he used to make the first tyres. The process was called "vulcanization" after Vulcan, the Roman God of fire.
Sulphur's power has also been harnessed for more destructive means. It has been used to make gunpowder, pesticides and acids. It has also inadvertently led to such creations as "acid rain" caused by Sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere.
On the island of Java, Sulphur miners rise their lives for the "devil's gold". They descend into the bowels of an inactive volcano to chip chunks of Sulphur off stalactites, taking great care to avoid toxic yellow gases and electric blue flames.
