Sulphur Experiments

Laboratory

• Because of the readiness with which it combines with other elements under heat, sulphur is often used in laboratory experiments. In some cases, it forms compounds that produce pyrotechnic displays. Sulphur compounds are used in fireworks, black powder and even common matches. One of the most famous compounds is vulcanized rubber. When Charles Goodyear heated a mix of rubber and sulphur, it produced what seemed an almost new substance, a rubber that was flexible yet firm with great tensile strength. Through the process of experimentation, scientists have discovered what happens when sulphur is bonded with most other elements or substances. But at times, such as the discovery of vulcanization, the bonding process brings surprises.

Agricultural

• Sulphur is a necessary nutrient for much plant and animal life. It is used in commercial fertilizers. Agricultural research scientists test different mixtures and compounds of sulphur and their effects on different types of crops and plant life. Scientists at Cambridge University found in a tropical study from 1989 to 1990 that increased sulphur treatments to soil where maize produced consistently higher grain yields. Experiments on the best mix and delivery system for different crops have paved the way for dramatic increases in yield per acre.

Public Health

• Sulphur is one key element to the formation of life on Earth. Several important amino acids are formed with sulphur components. While elemental sulphur is non-toxic, many of sulphur's derivatives are highly toxic and can produce a range of devastating physical, neurological and behavioral effects. Sulphur is also a prime component of acid rain that can kill off a range of flora and fauna, while throwing complex ecosystems out of balance. Since some forms of sulphur are vital to life and other are deadly toxic, scientists use experiments to determine what effect different sulphur compounds have and in what quantities they are vital, inert or harmful.

Crystals

• In its most common native elemental state, sulphur is found in solid yellowish crystals. In combining with various metals to create sulphides, sulphur forms myriad types of crystals. Among the common metals, all but aluminum, iron and magnesium are obtained from sulphides. Though iron is not mined from sulphides, the substance called pyrite is simply an iron sulphide. Experiments on how various metal sulphides and crystals are formed help determine what geological and weather conditions are most prominent in the formation of the sulphides. These experiments help both to predict where such metals may be most easily found and how to most efficiently extract the metal from the sulphide.