sulfur Nonmetallic chemical ele¬ ment, chemical symbol S, atomic number 16. It is very reactive but occurs native in deposits, as well as combined in various ores (e.g., pyrite,
GALENA, CINNABAR); in COAL, PETROLEUM, and natural gas; and in the water in sulfur springs. Sulfur is the third most abundant constituent of miner¬ als and one of the four most impor¬ tant basic chemical commodities.
Pure sulfur, a tasteless, odourless, brittle yellow solid, occurs in several crystalline and amorphous allo- tropes, including brimstone and flowers of sulfur. It combines, with valence 2, 4, or 6, with nearly all other elements. Its most familiar compound is hydrogen sulfide, a poi¬ sonous gas that smells like rotten eggs. All metals except gold and platinum form sulfides, and many ores are sulfides. The oxides are sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide, which when dissolved in water make sulfurous acid and sulfuric acid, respec¬ tively. Several sulfur compounds with halogen elements are industrially important. Sodium sulfite (Na 2 S0 3 ) is a reducing agent used to pulp paper and in photography. Organic compounds with sulfur include several amino acids, the sulfa drugs, and many insecticides, solvents, and substances used in making rubber and rayon.
sulfur bacteria Any of a diverse group of bacteria that are capable of metabolizing sulfur and its compounds and are important in the sulfur cycle. Members of the genus Thiobacillus, widespread in marine and ter¬ restrial habitats, react with sulfur to produce sulfates useful to plants; in deep ground deposits they generate sulfuric acid, which dissolves metals in mines and corrodes concrete and steel. Desulfovibrio desulficans reduces sulfates in waterlogged soils and sewage to hydrogen sulfide, a gas with the common rotten-egg odour.
sulfur butterfly See sulphur butterfly
sulfur dioxide Inorganic compound, heavy, colourless, poisonous gas (S0 2 ). It has a pungent, irritating odour (the smell of a just-struck match). It occurs in volcanic gases and dissolved in the waters of some warm springs. Huge quantities are made industrially for use as a bleach, as a reducing agent, and as sulfites, which are food preservatives. It is a pre¬ cursor of the trioxide (S0 3 ), used to make sulfuric acid. Sulfur dioxide is formed when sulfur-containing fuels are burned; in the atmosphere it can combine with water vapour to form sulfuric acid, a major component of ACID RAIN.
sulfuric \,s3l-'fyur-ik\ acid or oil of vitriol Dense, colourless, oily, corrosive liquid inorganic compound (H 2 S0 4 ). A very strong acid, it forms ions of hydrogen or hydronium (H + or H 3 0 + ), hydrogen sulfate (HS0 4 ), and sulfate (SOj - ). It is also an oxidizing (see oxidation-reduction) and dehydrating agent and chars many organic materials. It is one of the most important industrial chemicals, used in various concentrations in manu¬ facturing fertilizers, pigments, dyes, drugs, explosives, detergents, and inorganic salts and acids, in petroleum refining and metallurgical pro¬ cesses, and as the acid in lead-acid storage batteries. It is made industri¬ ally by dissolving sulfur trioxide (S0 3 ) in water, sometimes beyond the saturation point to make oleum (fuming sulfuric acid), used to make cer¬ tain organic chemicals.
Sulla (Felix), Lucius Cornelius (b. c. 138—d. 79 bc, Puteoli, near Naples) Victor in the Roman civil war (88-82) and dictator (82-79). He fought alongside Gaius Marius against Jugurtha, whose capture through Sulla’s trickery led to a break with Marius. After being made consul, he
Pyrite from Butte, Mont.
COURTESY OF JOSEPH AND HELEN GUETTERMAN COLLECTION; PHOTOGRAPH, JOHN H. GERARD
Sulfur crystals from Sicily (greatly enlarged)
COURTESY OF THE ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM; PHOTOGRAPH, JOHN H. GERARD
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1842 I Sullivan ► sulphur butterfly
was given command in the war against Mithradates VI; when Marius was named to replace him, he marched on Rome, and Marius fled.
Though he succeeded in subduing Mithradates, the reigning popular party declared him a public enemy.
From southern Italy he marched again successfully on Rome (83).
Proclaimed dictator with no time limit (at which time he took the name Felix, “Lucky”), he reestablished the power of the Senate, increased the number of criminal courts, and passed new treason and citizen- protection laws, but he became chiefly known for his ruthlessness.
He resigned in 79 and died that year.
Sullivan, Sir Arthur (Sey¬ mour) (b. May 13, 1842, London,
Eng.—d. Nov. 22, 1900, London)
British composer. He attended the Royal Academy and the Leipzig Conservatory, then supported himself by teaching, playing organ, and composing for provincial festivals. His music for The Tempest (1861) achieved great success and was followed by his Irish Symphony (1866) and songs such as “Onward, Christian Soldiers” and “The Lost Chord.” In 1871 he first collaborated in comic opera with playwright W.S. Gilbert, and in 1875 their Trial by Jury became a hit, setting the course for both their careers. Their collaboration continued with The Sorceror (1877), H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), Patience (1881), Iolanthe (1882), Princess Ida (1883), The Mikado (1885), Ruddigore (1887), The Yeomen of the Guard (1888), The Gondoliers (1889), and others, many of which would continue to delight international audiences for more than a century.
Sullivan, Ed(ward Vincent) (b. Sept. 28, 1901, New York, N.Y., U.S.—d. Oct. 13, 1974, New York City) U.S. television host. He began his career as a journalist and wrote a Broadway gossip column for the Daily News. Known for his talent at discovering interesting new perform¬ ers, he was hired by CBS to host its variety program Toast of the Town (1948-55), later called The Ed Sullivan Show (1955-71), where he pre¬ sented diverse entertainment (combining, for example, a concert pianist, a singing fireman, and a boxing referee with Hollywood celebrities in a single show) in a program that became a national institution for more than 20 years. Sullivan’s terse way of introducing guest performers and dis¬ tinctive mannerisms made him a popular target for comedians.
Sullivan, Harry Stack (b. Feb. 21, 1892, Norwich, N.Y., U.S.—d. Jan. 14, 1949, Paris, France) U.S. psychiatrist. He engaged in clinical research at the Pratt Hospital in Maryland (1923-30), pursuing his interest in the use of psychotherapy to treat schizophrenia, which he viewed as stemming from disturbed interpersonal relationships in early childhood. He asserted that psychi¬ atric symptoms arise out of conflicts between the individual and his human environment and that person¬ ality development likewise stems from a series of interactions with other people. He helped establish the William Alanson White Psychiatric Foundation (1933) and the Washing¬ ton School of Psychiatry (1936), and he also founded (1938) and served as editor of the journal Psychiatry. His works include The Interpersonal Theory of Psychiatry (1953) and The Fusion of Psychiatry and Social Sci¬ ence (1964).
Sullivan, John L(awrence) (b.
Oct. 15, 1858, Roxbury, Mass.,
U.S.—d. Feb. 2, 1918, Abington, Mass.) U.S. boxer. Sullivan became the world heavyweight champion in 1882 by knocking out Paddy Ryan in nine rounds. His 75-round knockout of Jake Kilrain in 1889 was the last title bout under London Prize Ring (bare-knuckle) rules. In his only cham¬ pionship defense under the Queensberry rules, he was knocked out by Jim Corbett (b. 1866—d. 1933) in 21 rounds in 1892. From 1878 to 1905 Sullivan had 35 bouts, of which he won 31, 16 by knockouts. Some box¬ ing historians regard Sullivan only as a U.S. champion since he had only one international match of consequence and refused to fight the great black Australian heavyweight Peter Jackson.
Sullivan, Louis H(enry) (b. Sept. 3, 1856, Boston, Mass., U.S.—d. April 14, 1924, Chicago, Ill.) U.S. architect, the father of modern U.S. architecture. Sullivan was accepted at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris but was a restless student. After working for several Chicago firms, he joined the office of Dankmar Adler (1844-1900) in 1879, becoming Adler’s partner at age 24. Their 14-year association produced more than 100 buildings, many of them landmarks. Their first important work was the Auditorium Building in Chicago (1889), a load-bearing stone struc¬ ture with a 17-story tower, unadorned on the arcaded exterior and daz- zlingly rich on the interior. Their most important skyscraper is the 10-story steel-framed Wainwright Building, St. Louis, Mo. (1890-91); above its two-story base, the vertical elements are stressed and horizontals recessed, and it is capped by a decorative frieze and cornice. During this period the young Frank Lloyd Wright spent six years as apprentice to Sullivan, who would be a major influence on the younger architect. In 1895 Sullivan’s partnership with Adler dissolved, and his practice began a steady decline. One of his few major commissions was the Carson Pirie Scott store in Chicago (1899-1904), noted for its broad windows and exuberant orna¬ mentation. Sullivan’s ornamentation was based not on precedent but on geometry and natural forms. He considered it obvious that building design should indicate a building’s functions and that, where the function does not change, the form should not change; hence his influential dictum “form follows function.”