What is Sulphur

Pale yellow in colour, odourless, insoluble in water

Sulphur is pale yellow in colour, odourless, which is insoluble in water but soluble in carbon disulphide. Sulphur is essential to life. It is a minor constituent of fats, body fluids, and skeletal minerals.

Sulphur dates back thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians made paints with it and bleached their linens with it (as SO2). Early Chinese first used it to make gunpowder. Ancient Greeks used it as a disinfectant and medicine.

Most of the sulfur that is produced is mainly used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid (H2SO4). In excess of forty million tons is used each year to make fertilizers, with further sulphur production going into the manufacture of  lead-acid batteries, and in many other industrial processes such as vulcanizing natural rubber, and insecticides (The Greek philosopher Homer mentioned “pest-averting sulphur” nearly 2,800 years ago.

In addition to sulphuric acid, sulphur formation has other interesting compounds such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S) which gives off a gas that smells like rotten eggs. The element Sulphur is a non-metal and will not dissolve in water. The pure element Sulphur has very little smell. The smell you might associate with Sulphur ­(bad eggs) ­ is actually a compound of Sulphur, the gas known as hydrogen sulphide. Sulphur compounds are also responsible for the smell in garlic, mustard, onions and cabbage. A Sulphur compound even gives skunks their ferociously powerful and long-lasting smell. Indeed, Sulphur is a part of all living tissues. Sulphur is in the proteins in plants, and also acquired by animals who eat the plants.

Sulphur Information:

  • Sulphur is the 10th most abundant element in the Milky Way Galaxy. It is found in the earth’s crust, in the ocean and even in meteorites.
  • 55 percent of all Sulphur is used in the production of Fertilizer with 45 percent being used in producing commercial products.
  • Sulphur is found in foods – onions, eggs, cauliflower, and soybean flour.
  • Sulphur is found in humans, chickens, and sheep.
  • Sulphur is used in matches and fireworks because it burns easily. Its ancient name “brimstone” means “the stone that burns”.