Mercury sulfide

Mercury sulfide (HgS) is an inorganic compound of mercury and sulfur. It occurs naturally as cinnabar and in other crystalline forms, including black metacinnabar.

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Cinnabar: The red, trigonal crystalline form of mercury sulfide and its principal ore mineral. Its distinctive structure gives HgS its familiar red mineral form.
Chemical bond: An attractive interaction that holds atoms or ions together in a substance. The mercury–sulfur interactions determine HgS’s structure and properties.
Vermilion: A brilliant red pigment traditionally made from finely ground cinnabar or synthetic HgS. It is the pigment use most closely associated with red mercury sulfide.
Almadén mercury mine: A historic mercury-mining district in Spain, among the world’s largest known cinnabar deposits. Its cinnabar deposits made it a major source of mercury for centuries.
Metacinnabar: The black, cubic crystalline form of mercury sulfide. It is a different crystal structure of the same chemical compound.
Solubility: The ability of a substance to dissolve in a specified solvent under stated conditions. HgS is notably insoluble in water, limiting mercury release from solid material.
Mercury mining: The extraction of mercury-bearing ores to produce elemental mercury or mercury compounds. Cinnabar has been the principal mined source of mercury.
Monte Amiata: A volcanic mountain in Italy associated with extensive historical cinnabar mining. Its HgS deposits supported a major regional mercury industry.
Crystal structure: The ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline solid. Different atomic arrangements account for HgS’s distinct crystalline forms.
Roasting (metallurgy): A metallurgical process that heats an ore in air or another reactive gas. Roasting cinnabar can convert its mercury into vapor during extraction.