Cinnabar

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This article is about the mineral. For the plant resin, see Dragon's blood. For the moth,
see Cinnabar moth.

Cinnabar

Cinnabar on Dolomite
General
Category

Sulfide mineral

Chemical formula mercury(II) sulfide, HgS

Crystal symmetry Trigonal 3 2
Unit cell

a = 4.145(2) , c = 9.496(2) , Z=3

Identification

Color
Crystal habit

Cochineal-red, towards brownish red and

lead-gray
Rhombohedral to tabular. Granular to
massive and as incrustations

Crystal system

Trigonal Trapezohedral

Twinning

Simple contact twins, twin plane {0001}

Cleavage

Prismatic {1010}, perfect

Fracture

Uneven to subconchoidal

Tenacity

Slightly sectile

Mohs scale
hardness

2-2.5

Luster

Adamantine to dull

Streak

Scarlet

Diaphaneity

Transparent in thin pieces

Specific gravity

8.176

Optical properties Uniaxial (+)

Refractive index n = 2.905 n = 3.256
Birefringence
Solubility
References

= 0.351
1.04 x 10-25 g per 100 ml water (Ksp at
25C = 2 x 10-32)[1]
[2][3][4]

Cinnabar, or cinnabarite (red mercury(II) sulfide (HgS), native vermilion), is the

common ore of mercury. The name comes from (kinnabari), a Greek word
most likely applied by Theophrastus to several distinct substances. Other sources say the
word comes from the Persian shangarf ( zinjifrah, a word of uncertain
origin). In Latin it was sometimes known as minium, meaning also "red lead", though
both of these terms now refer specifically to lead tetroxide.

Contents
[hide]

1 Structure
2 Properties
3 Occurrence
4 Mining and extraction of mercury
5 Decorative use
6 Medicinal use
7 Other forms of cinnabar
8 See also
9 References
10 Other references

11 External links

[edit] Structure
HgS adopts two structures, i.e. it is dimorphous.[5] The more stable form is cinnabar,
which has a structure akin to that for HgO: each Hg center has two short Hg-S bonds
(2.36 ), and four longer Hg---S contacts (3.10, 3.10, 3.30, 3.30 ). The black form of
HgS has the zinc blende structure.

[edit] Properties

Cinnabar
Cinnabar is generally found in a massive, granular or earthy form and is bright scarlet to
brick-red in color.[6] It occasionally occurs, however, in crystals with a non-metallic
adamantine luster. Cinnabar has a rhombohedral bravais lattice, and belongs to the
hexagonal crystal system, trigonal division. Its crystals grow usually in a massive habit,
though they are sometimes twinned. The twinning in cinnabar is distinctive and forms a
penetration twin that is ridged with six ridges surrounding the point of a pyramid. It could
be thought of as two scalahedral crystals grown together with one crystal going the
opposite way of the other crystal. The hardness of cinnabar is 22.5, and its specific
gravity 8.1.
Cinnabar resembles quartz in its symmetry and certain of its optical characteristics. Like
quartz, it exhibits birefringence. It has the highest refractive power of any mineral. Its
mean index for sodium light is 3.08,[7] whereas the index for diamonda substance of
remarkable refraction is 2.42 and that for gallium (III) arsenide (GaAs) is 3.93.

Cinnabar mercury ore from Nevada, USA

[edit] Occurrence

Generally cinnabar occurs as a vein-filling mineral associated with recent volcanic

activity and alkaline hot springs. Cinnabar is deposited by epithermal ascending aqueous
solutions (those near surface and not too hot) far removed from their igneous source.
It is associated with native mercury, stibnite, realgar, pyrite, marcasite, opal, quartz,
chalcedony, dolomite, calcite and barite.[2]
Cinnabar is found in all localities that yield mercury, notably Puerto Princesa
(Philippines); Almadn (Spain); New Almaden (California); Hastings Mine and St. John's
Mine, Vallejo, California;[8] Idrija (Slovenia); New Idria (California); Giza, Egypt;
Landsberg, near Obermoschel in the Palatinate; Ripa, at the foot of the Apuan Alps and
in the Mount Amiata (Tuscany); the mountain Avala (Serbia); Huancavelica (Peru);
Murfreesboro, Arkansas; Terlingua (Texas); and the province of Guizhou in China,
where fine crystals have been obtained. It was also mined near Red Devil, AK on the
middle Kuskokwim River. Red Devil was named after the Red Devil cinnabar mine, a
primary source of mercury.
Cinnabar is still being deposited at the present day from the hot waters of Sulphur Bank
Mine in California and Steamboat Springs, Nevada.

[edit] Mining and extraction of mercury

Cinnabar has been mined since the Neolithic Age (Martn-Gil et al.). During the Roman
Empire it was mined both as a pigment (Vitruvius, DA VII; IV-V) (Pliny, HN; XXXIII,
XXXVI-XLII) and for its mercury content (Pliny HN; XXXIII, XLI), and it has been the
main source of mercury throughout the centuries.
To produce liquid (quicksilver) mercury, crushed cinnabar ore is roasted in rotary
furnaces. Pure mercury separates from sulfur in this process and easily evaporates. A
condensing column is used to collect the liquid metal, which is most often shipped in iron
flasks.
Since mercury is a relatively noble metal, it easily separates from its ores.

[edit] Decorative use

Cinnabar has been used for its color in the new world since the Olmec culture.[9] Cinnabar
was often used in royal burial chambers during the peak of Mayan civilization.[10] The red
stone was inserted into limestone sarcophagi, both as a decoration and, more importantly,
to deter vandals and thieves with its well-known toxicity. [citation needed]
The most popularly known use of cinnabar is in Chinese carved lacquerware, a technique
that apparently originated in the Song Dynasty.[11] The danger of mercury poisoning may
be reduced in ancient lacquerware by entraining the powdered pigment in lacquer,[12] but
could still pose an environmental hazard if the pieces were accidentally destroyed. In the

modern jewelry industry, the toxic pigment is replaced by a resin-based polymer that
approximates the appearance of pigmented lacquer.
In Ancient Rome it was the custom on festival days to color the face of the statue of
Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill with cinnabar. The bodies of triumphing generals were also
colored in this way, at least on some occasions.[citation needed]

[edit] Medicinal use

Despite its toxicity, cinnabar has historically been used in traditional Chinese medicine,
where it is called zhsh () and was highly valued in Chinese Alchemy where it was
eponymous with the word dn (), which referred to alchemy, cinnabar and the elixir of
immortality.

[edit] Other forms of cinnabar

Hepatic cinnabar is an impure variety from the mines of Idrija in the Carniola
region of Slovenia, in which the cinnabar is mixed with bituminous and earthy
matter.
Metacinnabarite is a black-colored form of HgS, which crystallizes in the cubic
form.
Synthetic cinnabar is produced by treatment of Hg(II) salts with hydrogen
sulfide to precipitate black, synthetic metacinnabarite, which is then heated in
water. This conversion is promoted by the presence of sodium sulfide.[13]
Hypercinnabar, crystallise in the hexagonal form.

[edit] See also

China red
List of minerals

[edit] References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

^ Meyers, J.. Chem. Ed. 63: pp. 689. 1986.

^ a b Mineral Handbook
^ Mindat
^ Webmineral
^ Wells, A.F. (1984). Structural Inorganic Chemistry, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
ISBN 0-19-855370-6.
6. ^ King, R. J. (2002). "Minerals explained 37: Cinnabar". Geology Today 18 (5):
195199. doi:10.1046/j.0266-6979.2003.00366.x.
7. ^ Schumann, Walter (1997). Gemstones of the World. New York: Sterling.
ISBN 0806994614.

8. ^ C.Michael Hogan, Marc Papineau et al., Environmental Assessment of the

columbus Parkway Widening between Ascot Parkway and the Northgate
Development, Vallejo, Earth Metrics Inc. Report 7853, California State
Clearinghouse, Sept, 1989
9. ^ New World's Oldest, in Time Magazine, Monday, Jul. 29, 1957
10. ^ Cinnabar-covered ruin.
11. ^ http://www.askasia.org/teachers/images/image.php?no=659
12. ^ http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/cinnabar.htm R. V. Dietrich, 2005
13. ^ Holleman, A. F.; Wiberg, E. "Inorganic Chemistry" Academic Press: San
Diego, 2001. ISBN 0-12-352651-5.

[edit] Other references

Martn-Gil, J; Martn-Gil, FJ; Delibes-de-Castro, G; Zapatero-Magdaleno, P;

Sarabia-Herrero, FJ (1995). The first use of vermillion. Cellular and Molecular
Life Sciences, 51(8):759-761