Sulfur: The Stench of Life Trivia Quiz

Answer: H2SO4

By definition, an acid is a substance that can lose hydrogen (H+) protons easily. Functionally, sulfuric acid is a sulfate ion (SO42-) with two hydrogen atoms attached. A country's industrial might can be measured by its sulfuric acid production, as this in turn is needed to produce fertilisers (60% of all production), pharmaceuticals, insecticides, and cleaning products.

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Answer: Cruciferae

Some of the vegetables high in sulfur-containing substances are cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, radish, turnips, broccoli, horseradish, cabbage, watercress, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and mustard leaves. It's especially helpful to eat these things in conjunction with vitamin C, which helps aid absorption. Other helpful vegetables are members of the allium group, such as garlic, onions, leeks, and chives. Eggs and protein rich foods are also good dietary sources of sulfur. Sulfur is the eighth most common element in the body and it helps us to produce collagen, which aids in the production of connective tissues and the maintenance of cell structure and artery walls. It also forms a part of keratin and gives strength to hair, skin, and nails.

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Answer: False

Organic farming is an alternative form of agriculture that promotes the use of various techniques such as companion planting and crop rotation to provide sustainability. It also relies on the use of organic fertilisers such as compost and "green" manure and forms of biological pest control. To the latter end, naturally occurring pesticides are promoted. These include items such as pyrethrum and rotenone. The use of synthetic substances to control pests is strictly limited. Elemental sulfur, one of the world's oldest fungicides, is one of the few that is allowed. It is effective against powdery mildew type diseases such as black spot, mould type problems, and in combating ticks and mites.

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Answer: By manipulating disulfide linkages using heat and/or chemicals

Hair curling is naturally a function of both follicle structure and the number of disulfide linkages (S-S bonds) in hair filaments. A perm or permanent wave is achieved by using heat and/or chemicals to break and then reform the disulfide linkages in hair around a form (e.g. rods or curlers). Disulfides in hair are formed between the thiol (-SH) groups of cysteine. Methionine does not form disulfides. The same process can be used to straighten hair, except that the disulfide linkages are re-established without the use of a form.

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Answer: Gerhard Domagk

Domagk received the 1939 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine but the German government insisted he refuse the award. He was able to claim the medal later but not the prize money.

One of the first antibiotics ever synthesized was Prontosil, a sulfonamide drug invented even before penicillin. Now, many sulfur drugs exist. They are commonly used to treat bladder infections (especially trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole). "Staph" bacteria, even methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), are also killed by this antibiotic. One anti-malarial is sulfadoxine plus pyrimethamine.

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Answer: Flowers of Sulfur

Flowers of Sulfur (FOS) is produced by sublimation from brimstone deposits. Amongst its many uses (for the purpose of this question) is that it can be used as an antiseptic and an antifungal. Over the years it has been used to relieve itching, dry, scaly, and red skin. It has also been used as a treatment against eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis. For mums with newborns it has proven extremely useful against nappy rash and FOS is also a good way to combat fungal infections such as ringworm and athlete's foot. FOS can be applied directly to the skin in much the same way as talcum powder or mixed into skin oils and creams. As always, it is advisable to seek medical advice prior to proceeding.

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Answer: Hydrothermal vents

Due to the lack of sunlight as a source of energy, deep sea microbes utilise chemical compounds to convert carbon-containing molecules into organic matter. One of these chemical compounds is hydrogen sulfide. The oxidation of hydrogen sulfide provides the energy needed to produce biomass, which can support populations of organisms in otherwise hostile environments such as deep sea hydrothermal vents. In fact, it has been hypothesised that extraterrestrial life may be supported by chemosysthesis.

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Answer: Rotorua

In a process called "sulfation", sulfates combine with chondroitin to produce glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin sulfate. These in turn afford support for the interactions that result in strong joints, collagen, and connective tissue.

Due to the volcanoes and fault lines on which New Zealand is situated, you can find hot pools just about anywhere you go. Rotorua was named "Second Lake" because it was the second lake of note found by Ihenga, the Great Explorer, in the Kahumatamomoe region.

Otematata means "place of good flint"; Auckland and Canterbury reflect the English influence in that country.

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Answer: Yes

Sulfur dioxide, or SO2, is the most widely used additive in the wine making industry and it doesn't come without its fair share of argument. Natural (or organic) winemakers believe there is no need for it but non-natural makers contend that to do so without SO2 comes with great risk and requires extraordinary skill. Sulfur dioxides are used to kill off unwanted wild yeasts and bacteria and are an excellent tool in combating oxidation in wine. This is not the powdery sulfur that growers will dust their vines with to fight off bugs such as powdery mildew, it is SO4, which comes in the form of sulfites, and they're applied at various stages in the wine process. Initially at the picking stage it inhibits the wild yeasts and removes the need for the grower to get the picked product to the winery as quickly as possible. Then at the crushing stage, it prevents the fermentation of those same wild yeasts and allows the maker to introduced cultured yeasts that are resistant to the SO2. Makers will also add SO2 at the fermentation stage to control maloactic fermentation and finally at the bottling stage. We mentioned earlier that SO2 will prevent oxidation in wine - oxidation, as the name suggests, is the wine's reaction to oxygen. Oxygen has the ability to alter the colour and the odour of wine - it can make it deeper and dryer. Excessive oxidation will ruin a wine but controlled oxidation has the power to add great complexity to a wine.

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Answer: It is a source of energy/fuel

Gunpowder in its most rudimentary form is made up of 75% saltpeter (potassium nitrate), 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur. The saltpeter is the ingredient that provides the explosive power because it decomposes at high temperatures providing oxygen to the reaction. This is why gunpowder does not need air to burn and why smothering it will not stop the reaction. The charcoal provides carbon which acts as a fuel for the reaction. The sulfur is also a fuel but its main role is to provide more energy and a lower ignition point than charcoal can because sulfur undergoes exothermic reactions which helps lower the ignition temperature of the charcoal.

These three ingredients alone will not produce good gunpowder. They must be mixed and moistened and ground together to produce a truly reactive mixture. The ignition of gunpowder is not merely a single reaction but many reactions happening simultaneously or in close succession.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.