Sulfur Crystal
Measurements: ~2" tall x 1" wide x 1" deep
Location: Bolivia, South America
Sulfur is an abundant bright yellow chemical element with the symbol S, and its atomic number being 16. It is the tenth most common element in the known universe, and the fifth most common on Earth. Sulfur has been used for a variety of purposes since the ancient days of China, Greece, India and Egypt. It is commonly called "Brimstone" in the Bible. Sulfur is essential to all living organisms as minor amounts exist in body fluids, fats and skeletal minerals. Sulfur exists in amino acids methionine and cysteine and is a key component in most organism's proteins. In industry, sulfur is used in a variety of methods, including, sulfuric acid, cellophane and rayon production, detergents, Calcium sulfate (Gypsum), gunpowder, fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides. Sulfur dioxide is also used is trace amounts for wine fermentation.