Video: Plastic sulfur

Powdered sulfur is heated until it melts to give a free-flowing pale-yellow liquid of S8 molecules. Additional heating converts it to a thick, viscous, dark red-brown liquid of long chain sulfur polymers. The viscosity decreases as the temperature is increased further, the chains breaking into shorter lengths. When this is poured into water, the supercooled liquid polymer can be stretched. Over time, the sulfur reconverts to its ring form.