Despite all of the unfortunate connections, sulphur has long had a beneficial medicinal role. It was used both externally, in the form of ointments for the skin and vapours to fumigate diseased places, or internally as the medicine called brimstone. In the modern world, the group of drugs known as sulphonamides are used as antimicrobials, one of the more important groups of medicines available today to cure infections of the digestive system. Because sulphur occurs in all living things, it may be concentrated as tissues decay. By burning these fossil fuels, sulphur forms a range of gases, including sulphur dioxide, which may cause acid rain.
Sulphur dioxide is an important gas.
As well as forming acid when dissolved in water, it is a bleaching agent used in many industrial processes. The main use of sulphur in large volumes is to produce sulphuric acid, a major starting material in the production of many fertilisers. Demonstration of properties of sulphur Native, or pure, sulphur is a soft, yellow, crumbly material. By heating it, many of the special properties of this element are clearly seen. 1 Sulphur is usually found in a laboratory as a crumbly yellow powder.