Sulfur has been known to people for many millennia. It is not known why sulfur has been associated with the Devil since ancient times.
Here, if only for an illustrative example, Chekhov's The Seagull, in which Konstantin Treplev puts on a play:
Although scientists explain why the smell of burning sulfur makes people think about the presence of the devil. Most likely the fact that sulfur is poured out of the vents of volcanoes during an eruption. That sulfur in 79 A. D. killed the great explorer and scientist Pliny the Elder, we know from the letters of his nephew Pliny the Younger to the historian Tacitus: “… Suddenly there was a rumble of thunder, and black sulfur vapors rolled down from the mountain flame. They all fled. Pliny got up and, leaning on two slaves, thought to leave too; but deadly steam surrounded him on all sides, his knees buckled, he fell again and suffocated."
Sulfur is present in hot thermal springs.
You can read about the frightening use of sulfur in hell in the New and Old Testaments.
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Homer wrote about the lethal effect of sulfur emissions from burning sulfur, calling them "sulfurous fumes".
Where there is sulfur, grasses and trees wither: "If the grasses are stunted, poor in juices, and the branches and foliage of trees are dull, dirty, darkish instead of a shiny green color, this is a sign that the subsoil is rich in minerals dominated by sulfur." (Agricola, "On the Kingdom of Minerals", XVI century).
In ancient times, priests used sulfur for religious and mystical purposes, lighting it up during rituals. The ancient Egyptian priests believed that sulfur was created by a mythical underground spirit.
However, sulfur also served as a deterrent to evil spirits.
Pliny the Elder wrote about this in the 1st century. AD in his "Natural History": "Sulfur is used to cleanse dwellings, since many are of the opinion that the smell and burning of sulfur can protect from all sorcery and drive away all evil spirits."
The Latin name for sulfur is sulphu, sulpur most likely comes from the Indo-European root swelp, which translates as “to burn”.
And the Russian name for sulfur is from the Proto-Slavic - sera, which in turn comes from Latin. Serum, which translates as "serum".
Sulfur was one of the favorite substances of medieval alchemists. But not only. Sulfur was burned to get rid of insects, added to medicinal ointments and cosmetic preparations, gray ink was used on weapons, and it was burned to bleach tissues.
By the way, sulfur is still included in the composition of medicinal preparations used for skin diseases. Sulfuric ointment is used to treat lichen not only in animals, but also in humans. Sulfur ointment is cheap and really helps. There is sulfur in the composition of the ointment for dermatitis, psoriasis, seborrhea, scabies, rashes, acne and others. Purified sulfur is contained in the recently widely advertised acne remedy, Clerasil. 5% of precipitated sulfur is contained in the talker - "Vidal's milk". Sulfur is added to a special anti-dandruff soap. Sulfur is used in exfoliators to help remove age spots and freckles.
However, sulfur should never be used internally.
Sulfur mask
Mix 2 teaspoons of white clay, 0.5 g of powdered sulfur. Add enough milk to make the consistency of thick sour cream. Apply the resulting mixture to your face. Wash off after 20 minutes with cool water.
But before applying the mask to your face, you need to try its effect on the bend of the elbow. If there is no redness, then you can use a mask.
At one time, sulfur, along with coal and saltpeter, began to be part of black powder. Sulfur in small quantities is still used in gunpowder today.
But sulfur, as a weapon that terrifies the enemy, was used even as part of the "Greek fire".
The Chinese found a more peaceful use for sulfur, around the 8th century they began to use sulfur in pyrotechnics.
Now sulfur is used as a raw material in many chemical industries.
In fact, sulfur is one of the important elements for higher organisms, it is part of many proteins, the concentration of sulfur in the hair is high.
In the periodic table, sulfur occupies cell number 16.
But the discovery that sulfur is not a compound but an independent chemical element belongs to the great French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, who lived in the 18th century.
Over the past centuries, the concept of sulfur has not changed much, except that it has become broader and deeper. Scientists have learned that sulfur consists of a mixture of four stable isotopes with mass numbers 32, 33, 34 and 36. And it is a non-metal.
If sulfur is poured into water, then it turns into an elastic mass resembling rubber.
By the way, the sulfur contained in natural water makes it "hard".
Semitransparent crystals of pure sulfur are colored lemon-yellow. They can have different shapes, for example, the most stable modification are crystals of sulfur in the form of a diamond. The most unstable modification is sulfur crystals in the form of needles.
The most famous natural sulfur compounds are: cinnabar, pyrite or pyrite, zinc blende or sphalerite, lead luster or galena, and antimonite.
Sulfur is also found in natural coal, oil, natural gases and shale.
Deposits with a large amount of native sulfur, that is, rocks with inclusions of sulfur are rare. Most often it is found in some ores. The formation of native sulfur could also occur in shallow water bodies.
When people first began to extract sulfur is unknown. But sulfur deposits were developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The most famous accumulations of sulfur were found in Sicily. There was so much sulfur in them that it was mined there until the end of the last century.
In 1961, a large Mishrak sulfur deposit was discovered in Iraq. Sulfur in this deposit is located in carbonate rocks that form a vault supported by supports extending into the depths.
In geology, this is called wings. The wings are usually composed of anhydrite and gypsum.
In Russia there is a field similar to the Iraqi one, it is called Shor-Su.
Sulfuric ore is mined in an open way, with the help of walking excavators, the upper layers are removed, and then the ore layer is blasted and crushed. Then they are taken first to the concentrating plant, and then to the sulfur smelting plant.
There is also a borehole method for extracting sulfur from underground, but it was initially used by foreign companies. In this method, sulfur was smelted underground. In the Soviet Union, the first sulfur wells started operating in 1968.
Using the thermal method, sulfuric ore was extracted back in the 18th century in the Kingdom of Naples.
Italy was the first to use steam-water methods for the extraction of sulfur ores. Giuseppe Gill received a patent for the apparatus he invented in 1859.
Now, in most countries, sulfur ore is mined by the autoclave method. In Russia, the autoclave method was first used by engineer K. G. Patkanov in 1896.
But, of course, modern autoclaves are very different from the old ones. Even their size is impressive - with a four-storey building. Ore is now also melted underground by high-frequency currents, and then pumped out through wells to the surface.
Japan has the largest reserves of volcanic sulfur. France and Canada extract it from gases. England and Germany extract sulfur from pyrite, a sulfur-containing raw material. And they also buy it in other countries.
Scientists say that sulfur is needed to make almost all the things we use in the modern world. These are paper, rubber, medicines, cosmetics, plastics, paint, fertilizers and much more. Without sulfur, you cannot make a car; up to 14 kg of sulfur goes to the manufacture of each car. A lot of the extracted sulfur goes to paper and rubber. Although the main consumer of sulfur is the chemical industry.
In agriculture, sulfur is used in the manufacture of fertilizers and pest control products.
In our country, the main producers of sulfur are the enterprises of OJSC Gazprom, which receive it as a by-product during gas purification.
Our body also needs sulfur in order to be healthy and beautiful. This element is especially important for the skin.
And you shouldn't go to Gazprom for sulfur for the body.
The most famous foods rich in sulfur: egg yolk, onions, garlic, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, hot red peppers, mustard.
These products, according to doctors, help our skin stay healthy and youthful.
Author: Natalia N Antonova
