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Garden sulfur?

Quince - 16-8-2005 at 23:01

Here they are selling "garden sulfur" as fungicide. Can I assume the stuff is reasonably pure S?

The_Davster - 16-8-2005 at 23:03

The garden sulphur I usually see is around 92% pure.

See this thread for purification info

Quince - 16-8-2005 at 23:57

What about other solvents that may be more available? It's supposed to be slightly soluble in not just toluene, but acetone and alcohols, and ammonia as well. I coudn't find out if the impurity is also soluble in acetone or alcohols or ammonia, however.

[Edited on 17-8-2005 by Quince]

Eclectic - 17-8-2005 at 06:21

Look up "lime-sulfur".
Dissolve agricultural sulfur with calcium hydroxide in water to make calcium polysulfide solution, filter, then precipitate sulfur with hydrochloric acid.

(This is likely going to produce hydrogen sulfide gas as well as precipitated sulfur. Use extreme caution: very stinky, very toxic)

[Edited on 17-8-2005 by Eclectic]

vulture - 17-8-2005 at 06:28

Another way is buying cheap Na2S2O3 and acidifying that with a non-oxidizing acid.

hydroponic sulphur

((Blasta)) - 20-8-2005 at 19:52

If you go to a hydroponics shop they will sell pure Sulphur for SO3 generators...pest killer. I've made really decent BlackPower from the stuff

neutrino - 20-8-2005 at 21:21

SO<sub>3</sub>? Are you sure that isn't SO<sub>2</sub>?

SO3 ?

MadHatter - 21-8-2005 at 20:37

It has to be SO2. If it was SO3 every home chemist would buy one if the price was
reasonable if for no other reason than to make lots of sulphuric acid.

...

((Blasta)) - 22-8-2005 at 20:20

sorry, SO2 is generated during combustion...

Taaie-Neuskoek - 22-8-2005 at 22:33

They don't even sell 65% SO3 at aldrich anymore, so I doubt they sell it in a hydroponics store...

I think they used an old determination for the amount of sulphur, which means they calculated it back to the oxides. It is probably a xSO4 what thay sell.

Products from a primary sulfur producer

watson.fawkes - 13-4-2011 at 11:03

The difference between garden sulfur and other sulfur products is on display at the web site of Montana Sulphur and Chemical Company, a primary producer. On their page for Disintegrating 90% Sulfur, there's the following description:

Quote:

YELLOWSTONE BRAND 90% DISINTEGRATING is a Sulfur-Bentonite combination that degrades readily upon contact with moisture in the soil, which provides a large surface area of sulfur to be oxidized to the sulfate form of sulfur.
YELLOWSTONE Brand is Montana Sulphur & Chemical Company's proprietary trade name for its specialty sulfur products.

So that product is about 10% bentonite. Recall that bentonite expands on contact with water, so this is what makes it disintegrating for this application.

The same company also sells much purer sulfur in both flake and prill form. Each of these two products states the same basic purity figures:

Quote:

SULFUR CONTENT: 99.9+ wt.-% minimum as Elemental Sulfur
MOISTURE: 0.5 wt.-% maximum
REDUCED CARBON: 0.1 wt.-% maximum
ASH: 0.01 wt.-% maximum

jamit - 13-4-2011 at 16:06

garden sulfur or "sulfur dust" from hardware or garden supply store either contains 10% "bentonite" or "calcium carbonate".

See garage chemist on purifying sulfur dust. Mine's from spectricide and has 90% sulfur and 10% "inert material".

Toluene is a great solvent to purifying garden sulfur especially when heated -- just don't use open flame but a hotplate and water bath. Good luck!

Mumbles - 14-4-2011 at 19:32

Pure sulfur as a by-product of the petroleum refining industry is very cheap. I'm not sure why people are still bothering with trying to purify garden sulfur.

Here is just one source: http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=sulfur