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How to Separate Sulfur from Sugar

Many high school and college chemistry courses teach students about the various properties of different chemical compounds and elements. Knowing how to differentiate between two similar chemicals can be difficult if you do not understand how the chemicals react to other substances. By studying the solubility of chemicals, such as sugar and sulfur, you will realize that some chemicals will dissolve in water, while others will not; using this knowledge, you can easily separate sulfur from sugar.

Things You'll Need

Large bowl
Wooden spoon
Warm water
Cooking sheet
Mesh strainer

Instructions

- 1
  Place the mixture of sugar and sulfur into a large bowl. Pour enough warm water over the mixture to completely submerge all of sugar and sulfur in the bowl.
- 2
  Stir the sugar and sulfur in the water using the wooden spoon; continue stirring until all of the sugar has dissolved.
- 3
  Pour the solution in the bowl through the mesh strainer onto the cooking sheet. Place the solid sulfur that has collected on top of the mesh strainer in a dry area to let the water evaporate.
- 4
  Place the cooking sheet with the sugar water solution in a warm, dry area; wait for the water to evaporate.
- 5
  Collect the sugar from the cooking sheet once the water has evaporated. Use the spoon to scrape it off the cooking sheet if it sticks.

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