Michaela Jennings, age 10, of Columbus' Ohio, for he question:

What is sulfur?

Pure sulfur is a soft shade of canary yellow,it may be powdery, crystal or like a rock. In everyday life, we hardly ever see it in these forms.

Yet it is one of the busiest elements behind the scenes in modern industry. You would never know, but sulfur is a necessary part of your body and also present in plants, For it is one of the elements necessary to make the protein foods which our bodies need to grow and repair themselves.

In our bodies, sulfur is hidden in tiny, invisible particles. We get our supplies from egg yolk foods and vegetables, especially cabbage and mustard plants. Sulfur also hides itself when it goes to work in. industry. Ono way it hides is to combine with other elements to form entirely different compounds,

one of these compounds is sulfuric acid ‑ a thick, clear liquid. This acid is strong enough to dissolve zinc and aluminum. It is used as a bleach and as a dissolver for cloth dyes. It plays a part in refining gasoline and bites into the metal plates for making lithographs and photoengraving. Chances are, it is present in a storage battery. It helps to make soap, glue and leather. And most of it is used to turn phosphate rocks into valuable plant fertilizer.

Another sulfur compound is the hypo us6d to develop photographic prints. Other compounds of sulfur play a part in making ink, germ and fungus killing salves, matches, fireworks, gunpowder and in vulcanizing rubber.

In olden days, sulfur was called brimstone ‑ the burning stone. The yellow stone or powder begins to melt when heated a little above the boiling point of water. At about 480 degrees Fahrenheit, it is a thick, brown liquid ready to burst into blue flame.

Brimstone was found long ago in Sicily. It came from the earth in the form of thick, suffocating gases. The gases finally settled into solid sulfur mixed with other volcanic rocks. The ore was mined and heated. The sulfur soon melted and separated itself from the rocks. Nowadays, most of

Nowadays, most of the world's sulfur is mined in America. It occurs in huge underground domes near the Gulf of Mexico in Texas and Louisiana. It is talon from underground by an elaborate system of pipes and steam pressure.

Sulfur is also taken from pyrite minerals and from natural gas. Though it is one of the most vital elements on earth, the supplies are not widely scattered. The large hoards of pure sulfur are concentrated in the United States and the Mediterranean regions. These supplies are large enough to provide enough sulfur for all our needs way into the future.