174 



CHEMISTEY. 



and then on being poured into water it becomes a soft 

 waxy mass, which slowly hardens. This sulphur, not being 

 at all crystalline, is said to be amorphous, from the Greek a, 

 without, and morphe, form. When in its waxy state it is 

 used for copying coins and medals, the copy becoming hard 

 in a few hours. 



236. Flowers of Sulphur. The two common forms of sul- 

 phur in commerce 

 are the roll sulphur 

 and the flowers of 

 sulphur. The roll 

 sulphur is obtained 

 by distillation in the 

 manner shown in 

 Fig. 76, or by sim- 

 ply melting tho 

 crude sulphur, and 

 as the impurities 

 sink in the liquid the 

 sulphur is poured 

 into moulds, where 

 it is left to cool. The 

 apparatus for making the flowers of sulphur is represented 

 in Fig. 77 (p. 175). The crude sulphur is melted in the iron 

 pot, a, whence it flows into the retort, c / here it is heated 

 to boiling by the fire, d, and the vapors pass into the large 

 chamber, e e e. After a while the sulphur vapor cools and 

 condenses on the sides of the chamber in the form of very 

 small crystals, so minute as to appear like a powder. When 

 a sufficient quantity of the flowers is thus formed they are 

 removed by the door at p. Some melted sulphur accumu- 

 lates at the bottom, and is drawn off into moulds and cooled. 

 This constitutes roll sulphur. If the mixture of sulphur 

 vapor and air should inflame, the consequent explosion will 



Fig. 70. 



