Sulfur has been known since ancient times. The name comes from the Sankrit word " sulvere" meaning "sulphur". Around 1777 a scientist named Antoine Lavoiser convinced the scientific community that sulfur was a element. It is a "tasteless, odorless, brittle solid that is pale yellow in color, a poor conductor of electricity, and insoluble in water". Sulfur is the tenth most abundant element in the universe. The estimated crystal abundance is 3.50×102 milligrams per kilograms and the estimated oceanic abundance 9.05×102 milligrams per liter. Tons of sulfur is produced each year, most of it is used for the mass production of sulfuric acid. The sulfuric aid is used to make "fertilizer, lead acid batteries and in many industrial processes".
