plastic sulfur

When powder sulfur is heated over the stove into liquid form and then rapidly cooled in water, it forms amorphous, or plastic sulfur. Unlike crystal sulfur this is a slime that rapidly crystalizes. A long but interesting experiment.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• plastic
• sulfur
• sulphur
• molten
• melted
• chemical
• chemistry
• Collin
• science
• experiment
• reaction
• ExplosiveScience
• explosive

[pyropakman]

I suppose the temperatures aren't high enough to have the iron from the steel can react with the sulfur?

[ExplosiveScience]

@pyropakman That is a good point. I wasn't as good at chemistry when I made this video as I am now, but that could have caused the discoloration in the sulfur. I think that reaction does have a fairly high activation energy and mostly occurs at higher temperatures, but it is possible that it did happen enough to change the color, or you may be correct in saying the temperature was not high enough. I plan on making some way cooler and more advanced videos this summer.

[pyropakman]

@ExplosiveScience: Thanks for the response. Also, I love your use of United Nuclear. They're awesome!

[ExplosiveScience]

@pyropakman Agreed, best amateur chemist supplier ever!

[Nevercry1991]

Is it a chemical or physical change?

[ExplosiveScience]

That is a very good question, and I have not been able to find the answer. My guess would be that it is a chemical change because the molecules are re-arranged, but it could be a physical change, because it may only be considered a change in the state of matter of a substance. I am not sure if an allotrope change is chemical or physical, but my guess is that it is chemical because the number of atoms in each molecule of the element can change.

[zhmapper]

Nice vid! I bet your hands smelled like SO2 for a few days :D

[zhmapper]

I can smell that from all the way over here.

[armadoliwanag]

then the tongs get hot.. ouch spills the sulfur on the stove..catches fire...burns the house

[Biospark88]

I just ordered 4 oz of S from amazon. It should arrive this week. I am a chem/biochem major. How much did you use to perform this demonstration?

[nathan7tube]

It's nice to see what liquid sulfur is like, I was considering making S2Cl2 but was a bit worried about the melting of the sulfur.

"Not something you'd want to put on waffles."

You, sir, win an internet.

[sockcutter]

Mmmmmmmm, sulfur fudge.

[minerug]

I think the brown colour of it could simply be because of the shape of the plastic sulfur. It has a spiral shape as opposed to a straight chain or that crown shape you mentioned

[DropASharp]

This is a sweet video. Sulfur is one of my favorite elements. Just one minor gripe though: Sulfur is a Chalcogen, Group 6.

Still, awesome vid!

[ExplosiveScience]

@PSPandGPS Besides this experiment, sulfur is used in various other chemical reactions. You can mix it with zinc powder, and when ignited, the mixture will burn with a green flame producing zinc sulfide. The coolest use of sulfur is in pyrotechnic compositions. Sulfur is used to make flash powder and black powder more powerful and more sensitive. Flash powder is extremely easy to make but much more dangerous than black powder. Do some research, and whatever you make, start small and be safe

[garyheller5566]

we did this in chemistry one time.