History+of+Sulfur

HISTORY AND USES Sulfur was recognized as an important substance a long time before science chemistry began to develop. People have known Sulfur since prehistoric times. In that time it was used as a pigment for cave paintings; however, the people that used it for industrial and practical purposes were the Egyptians: they used it for medicine and burned it to create fumes for bleaching cotton cloth. It was also used by pre-roman civilizations that used it as fumigant, bleaching agents and incense in religious rites. Greeks and Romans discovered that Sulfur could be utilized to create fire and pyrotechnical displays for the Roman circus. Sulfur was first used in China for explosive and fire displays, during the time of Confucius at around 1000 years ago. This element became more known and used in the 18th century, after the advent of industrial revolution, especially for the manufacture of sulfuric acid. Today is used in black gunpowder, matches and fireworks as a fungicide, insecticide, fumigant and in the treatment of certain skin diseases; however, the principal use of this element is in the preparation of its compounds. BACK TO HOMEPAGE