Cinnabar

Tongren Prefecture, Guizhou Province, China
© 2004 D. Schläfli

Show Cinnabar Photos (354)

Formula:

HgS

System:

Trigonal

Colour:

Tint or shade of red

Lustre:

Adamantine

Hardness:

2 - 2½

Name:

From Persian "zinjifrah"; original meaning lost (dragon's blood?).

This page provides mineralogical data about Cinnabar.

Classification of Cinnabar

IMA status:

Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"

Strunz 8th edition ID:

2/C.18-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:

2.CD.25

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
D : With Sn, Pb, Hg, etc.

Dana 8th edition ID:

2.8.14.1

2 : SULFIDES
8 : A_mX_p, with m:p = 1:1

Hey's CIM Ref.:

3.5.1

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
5 : Sulphides etc. of Hg and Tl

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http://www.mindat.org/min-1052.html
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Physical Properties of Cinnabar

Lustre:

Adamantine

Diaphaneity (Transparency):

Transparent, Translucent

Colour:

Tint or shade of red

Streak:

Red-brown to scarlet

Hardness (Mohs):

2 - 2½

Hardness (Vickers):

VHN₁₀=82 - 156 kg/mm²

Tenacity:

Sectile

Cleavage:

Perfect
Perfect {1010}

Fracture:

Sub-Conchoidal

Density (measured):

8.176 g/cm³

Density (calculated):

8.2 g/cm³

Crystallography of Cinnabar

Crystal System:

Trigonal

Class (H-M):

3 2 - Trapezohedral

Space Group:

P3₁ 2 1

Cell Parameters:

a = 4.145(2) Å, c = 9.496(2) Å

Ratio:

a:c = 1 : 2.291

Unit Cell Volume:

V 141.29 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

Rhombohedral crystals, thick tabular, stout to slender prismatic.

Twinning:

Simple contact twins Plane {0001}, axis [0001]

Crystal Atlas:

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Cinnabar no.2 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Cinnabar no.10 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Cinnabar no.26 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Cinnabar no.35 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Cinnabar no.57 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

About Crystal Atlas

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The mindat.org Crystal Atlas allows you to view a selection of crystal drawings of real and idealised crystal forms for this mineral and, in certain cases, 3d rotating crystal objects. You need Java to see these. You can download Java for free - click here to download Java

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X-Ray Powder Diffraction:

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Radiation - Copper Kα
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Optical Data of Cinnabar

Type:

Uniaxial (+)

RI values:

n_ω = 2.905 n_ε = 3.256

Maximum Birefringence:

δ = 0.351

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.

Surface Relief:

Very High

Chemical Properties of Cinnabar

Formula:

HgS

Essential elements:

Hg, S

All elements listed in formula:

Hg, S

Relationship of Cinnabar to other Species

2.CD.05

Herzenbergite

SnS

2.CD.05

Teallite

(Pb,Sn)SnS

2.CD.10

Alabandite

2.CD.10

Altaite

PbTe

2.CD.10

Clausthalite

PbSe

2.CD.10

Galena

PbS

2.CD.10

Niningerite

(Mg,Fe

,Mn

2.CD.10

Oldhamite

(Ca,Mg)S

2.CD.10

Keilite

(Fe

,Mg)S

3.5.2

Hypercinnabar

HgS

3.5.3

Metacinnabar

HgS

3.5.4

Imiterite

HgS

3.5.5

Tiemannite

HgSe

3.5.6

Balkanite

HgS

3.5.7

Danielsite

(Cu,Ag)

HgS

3.5.8

Coloradoite

HgTe

3.5.9

Gortdrumite

(Cu,Fe)

3.5.10

Polhemusite

(Zn,Hg)S

3.5.11

Carlinite

3.5.12

Crookesite

(Cu,Tl,Ag)

3.5.13

Sabatierite

TlSe

3.5.14

Picotpaulite

TlFe

3.5.15

Raguinite

TlFeS

3.5.16

Thalcusite

FeS

3.5.17

Bukovite

(Cu,Fe)

3.5.18

Gallite

CuGaS

3.5.19

Roquesite

CuInS

3.5.20

Indite

FeIn

Other Names for Cinnabar

Synonyms:

Cinnabarite (of Dana)

French names:

German names:

Greek names:

Italian names:

Japanese names:

Russian names:

Spanish names:

Traditional Chinese names:

辰矽

朱矽

Varieties:

Corallinerz

Other Information

Fluorescence in UV light:

None.

Health Warning:

Contains mercury - always wash hands after handling. Do not inhale dust and use caution when breaking. Do not lick or ingest. Do not heat in unventilated environment - emits toxic Hg fumes. Mercury Sulfide is, however, relatively insoluble and toxicity of the pure material is low. But be aware that many samples of Cinnabar, especially those which are 'massive' rather than crystalline, also contain traces of native mercury, and this is far more easily absorbed by the body.

Industrial Uses:

Principal ore of mercury. Used as a cosmetic pigment in ancient times.

References for Cinnabar

Reference List:

Schrauf, A. (1894), Aphorismen über Zinnobar: Zeitschr. Prak. Geol.: 10-18.

Bulletin de Mineralogie: 96: 218-219.

Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged, 834pp.: 251-255.