When sulphur burns, or when compounds that contain sulphur burn such as coal and oil, sulphur dioxide gas is released. SO2 is a choking, foul smelling and acidic gas which contributes to acid rain. It is released naturally as a decay product of dead plants and animals and, more significantly, when volcanoes erupt. The sulphur …
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Series:Sulphur
Sulphur In Food…
The yellow non-metal element sulphur has a bad reputation for causing unpleasant smells and acid rain. It is, however, a vital element in the biochemistry of humans and other living things.
Rotten Eggs…
Rotten eggs have a very distinctive smell. The odour is caused by a gas called hydrogen sulphide (H2S). It is easy to make by reacting iron sulphide with hydrochloric acid… One molecule of iron sulphide reacts with two molecules of hydrochloric acid to produce one molecule of iron chloride and one molecule of hydrogen sulphide. …
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Sulphur Cycle…
David Bellamy was one of the great science communicators of my youth. I think he started as a TV expert on gardens but eventually branched out into more general science. I enjoyed his series, “Bellamy Rides Again” from the early 1990s and I used to show this episode, on sulphur, to the boys at Ludgrove. …
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