Chemistry:Metacinnabar

From HandWiki
Metacinnabar
General
CategorySulfide mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
HgS
Strunz classification2.CB.05a
Crystal systemCubic
Crystal classHextetrahedral (4 3m)
Space groupF4 3m
Unit cella=5.8717(5) Å; Z=4
Structure
Jmol (3D)Interactive image
Identification
ColorGrayish black
Crystal habitMassive, rarely as tetrahedral crystals, as incrustations
TwinningCommon as lamellae on {111}
CleavageNone
FractureSubconchoidal
TenacityBrittle
Mohs scale hardness3
|re|er}}Metallic
StreakBlack
DiaphaneityOpaque
Specific gravity7.7–7.8
References[1][2][3]

Metacinnabar is the cubic form of mercury sulfide (HgS). It is the high temperature form and trimorphous with cinnabar (trigonal structure) and the higher temperature hypercinnabar (hexagonal structure).[5] It occurs with cinnabar in mercury deposits and is associated with native mercury, wurtzite, stibnite, marcasite, realgar, calcite, barite, chalcedony and hydrocarbons.[1]

It was first described in 1870 for an occurrence in the Redington mine, Knoxville, Napa County, California.[2][3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Metacinnabar in the Handbook of Mineralogy
  2. 2.0 2.1 Metacinnabar, MinDat.org, http://www.mindat.org/show.php?id=2670 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Metacinnabar, WebMineral.com, https://webmineral.com/data/Metacinnabar.shtml 
  4. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine 85 (3): 291–320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. Bibcode2021MinM...85..291W. 
  5. Hypercinnabar, MinDat.org, http://www.mindat.org/show.php?id=1994