Detailed Technical Data Compare at other websites: www.webelements.com Los Alamos National Labs Royal Society of Chemistry Isotope information Minerals Translations and Etymology Science Fiction (Main Site) Poetry (Main Site) Home   Display size: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Sulfur is the element of war. It is the biblical brimstone (as in fire and brimstone), and it is one of the three ingredients in gunpowder. Like lead, gold, and phosphorous it is one of the classic elements of alchemy. Sulfur is also one of the elements with an absolutely unmistakable smell. The smell of sulfur makes me think of gunpowder, because that's what I used to make with it as a teenager. Burning sulfur is unpleasant, but sulfur powder itself I find very pleasant, though possibly this is just because of its long association with the excitement of making fireworks and the like. Other people may find the smell less uplifting. In addition to its warlike uses, sulfur is used in medicine and gardening, which means you can buy it in pharmacies and garden centers (see below for specific examples of each). This is great if you need some to make gunpowder. Detailed Technical Data Compare at other websites: www.webelements.com Los Alamos National Labs Royal Society of Chemistry Isotope information Minerals Translations and Etymology Science Fiction (Main Site) Poetry (Main Site) Collections: Elements in the Human Body Fun/Dangerous Experiments Minerals Elements that spell OLiVEr SAcKS Elements I Have Extra Of Elements at Walmart Elements with External Samples Samples with Rotatable Images Samples with Stories Flowers of sulfur. This sulfur was purchased at a Walgreens pharmacy in April 2002. They had only one partially used bottle left, which no one knew the use of! Many years ago I used to buy sulfur and saltpeter from pharmacies to grind up into gunpowder (the carbon came from readily available charcoal). I had to be sure not to buy both sulfur and saltpeter from the same pharmacist. Back then neither seemed to raise any eyebrows, and I don't think I ever had to use my planned excuse that "my mom asked me to buy this for her, I don't know what she's going to do with it". But in 2002, it seems people don't buy sulfur at the pharmacy anymore. I actually had half seriously planned to say "my wife asked me to buy this for her, I don't know what she's going to do with it", but when the stern-faced pharmacist asked me, staring over his glasses, what I planned to do with it, I broke down and told him the truth. It worked. Click the story book icon to read about making gunpowder. Source: Walgreens Pharmacy Contributor: Theodore Gray Acquired: 18 April, 2002 Price: $2 Size: 2.5" Purity: >95% Crystals. These are nice lumpy crystals of sulfur. Ah, the memories that smell brings back! Source: Mark Rollog Contributor: Mark Rollog Acquired: 20 July, 2002 Price: Donated Size: 0.3" Purity: >95% Powdered sulfur from old chemistry set. This bottle is from a 1950's chemistry set I got on eBay after consulting this trusty reference book about radioactive collectables. It's an "ATOMIC ENERGY" set (that kind of thing was big in the '50s), but it also includes an assortment of standard-issue chemistry set chemicals. According to the book's table of going rates for these things, I got a good deal on the chemistry set, though it is not in perfect condition and is missing some components. Modern chemistry sets are pretty wimpy, but I have to say that, aside from the uranium ore and the radium, this set is pretty tame as well. It even proudly claims to contain "no dangerous or explosive chemicals". I mean really, where's the fun in that? Here's a picture of the set: Source: eBay seller 6tomcat Contributor: Theodore Gray Acquired: 10 January, 2003 Price: $58/chemistry set Size: 1" Purity: >95% Sample from the Red Green and Blue Company Element Set. The Red Green and Blue company in England sells a very nice element collection in several versions. Max Whitby, the director of the company, very kindly donated a complete set to the periodic table table. To learn more about the set you can visit my page about element collecting for a general description or the company's website which includes many photographs and pricing details. I have two photographs of each sample from the set: One taken by me and one from the company. You can see photographs of all the samples displayed in a periodic table format: my pictures or their pictures. Or you can see both side-by-side with bigger pictures in numerical order. For most sample from this set I have my own picture on the left and the one from the company here, but I haven't taken a picture of this sample yet so there's only one picture. Source: Max Whitby of The Red Green & Blue Company Contributor: Max Whitby of The Red Green & Blue Company Acquired: 25 January, 2003 Price: Donated Size: 0.2" Purity: 99.9% Sample from the Everest Element Set. Up until the early 1990's a company in Russia sold a periodic table collection with element samples. At some point their American distributor sold off the remaining stock to a man who is now selling them on eBay. The samples (excepted gasses) weight about 0.25 grams each, and the whole set comes in a very nice wooden box with a printed periodic table in the lid. To learn more about the set you can visit my page about element collecting for a general description and information about how to buy one, or you can see photographs of all the samples from the set displayed on my website in a periodic table layout or with bigger pictures in numerical order. Source: Rob Accurso Contributor: Rob Accurso Acquired: 7 February, 2003 Price: Donated Size: 0.2" Purity: >99% Old can of flowers of sulfur. This can was sold for medicinal purposes probably 40-50 years ago from the look of it. The seller described it as an eight-pound can with about two pounds used, leaving six pounds in it. It definitely smells of sulfur! Unlike modern pharmacists, eBay doesn't ask any questions if you want to buy six pounds of antique sulfur. Source: eBay seller wz2j Contributor: Theodore Gray Acquired: 14 February, 2003 Price: $20 Size: 12" Purity: >99% Soil Sulfur. It turns out all my adventures in buying sulfur at pharmacies were quite unnecessary: You can buy it by the pound with no questions or funny looks at any garden supply store. It's used as a soil acidifier and pesticide, and can be had as crystals or powder. Of course the purity is not nearly as high as pharmacy sulfur (my bag came with a "guaranteed analysis" of >90% sulfur). But that's good enough for me. Source: Hardware Store Contributor: Theodore Gray Acquired: 16 March, 2003 Price: $3 Size: 9" Purity: >90% Native Sulfur from Jensan Set. Jensan Scientifics sells a very nice collection of minerals called "The Grand Tour of the Periodic Table" because it contains 60 minerals that represent the elements of the periodic table. To learn more about the set you can visit my page about element collecting for a general description, or you can see photographs of all the samples from the set displayed on my website in a periodic table layout or with bigger pictures in numerical order. Or use the link above to go directly to Jensan's website. Source: Jensan Scientifics Contributor: Jensan Scientifics Acquired: 17 March, 2003 Price: Donated Size: 1" Composition: S Large natural crystal. (External Sample) This is a beautiful yellow encrustation of natural sulfur crystals, found in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy. Location: The Harvard Museum of Natural History Photographed: 2 October, 2002 Size: 16 Purity: >90% Smaller natural crystal. (External Sample) This is also a beautiful yellow encrustation of natural sulfur crystals, found in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy. Location: The Harvard Museum of Natural History Photographed: 2 October, 2002 Size: 4 Purity: >90%