El cinabrio o bermellón (por su color), también conocido como cinabarita, es un mineral de la clase de los sulfuros. Está compuesto en un 85 % por mercurio y 15 % de azufre. En su simetría y caracteres ópticos presenta un parecido notable con el cuarzo. Como el cuarzo, exhibe una polarización circular, y Alfred Des Cloizeaux demostró que posee quince veces el poder rotativo del cuarzo. Su fórmula química es HgS (sulfuro de mercurio).

Leer el artículo completo en Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA

Cinnabar (/ˈsɪnəbɑːr/) and cinnabarite (/sɪnəˈbɑːraɪt/), likely deriving from the Ancient Greek: κιννάβαρι (kinnabari), refer to the common bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury(II) sulfide, formula HgS, that is the most common source ore for refining elemental mercury, and is the historic source for the brilliant red or scarlet pigment termed vermilion and associated red mercury pigments. Cinnabar generally occurs as a vein-filling mineral associated with recent volcanic activity and alkaline hot springs. The mineral resembles quartz in symmetry and in its exhibiting birefringence; cinnabar has a mean refractive index of ~3.2, a hardness between 2 and 2.5, and a specific gravity of ~8.1. The color and properties derive from a structure that is a rhombohedral crystalline lattice belonging to the hexagonal crystal system, crystals that sometimes exhibit twinning. Cinnabar has been used for its color since antiquity in the Near East, including as a rouge-type cosmetic, in the New World since the Olmec culture, and in China since as early as the Song dynasty, where it was used in coloring lacquerware. Associated modern precautions for use and handling of cinnabar arise from the toxicity of the mercury component, which was recognized as early as ancient Rome.

Leer el artículo completo en Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA