Mercury sulfide

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Mercury sulfide
Identifiers
CAS number 1344-48-5 YesY
PubChem 62402
Properties
Molecular formula HgS
Molar mass 232.66 g/mol
Density 8.10 g/cm3
Melting point 580 °C decomp.
Solubility in water insoluble
Band gap 2.1 eV (direct, α-HgS) [1]
Refractive index (nD) w=2.905, e=3.256, bire=0.3510 (α-HgS) [2]
Thermochemistry
Std enthalpy of
formation ΔfHo298
−58 kJ·mol−1[3]
Standard molar
entropy
So298
78 J·mol−1·K−1[3]
Hazards
MSDS ICSC 0981
EU Index 080-002-00-6
EU classification Very toxic (T+)
Dangerous for the environment (N)
R-phrases R26/27/28, R33, R50/53
S-phrases (S1/2), S13, S28, S45, S60, S61
Flash point Non-flammable
Related compounds
Other anions Mercury oxide
Mercury selenide
Mercury telluride
Other cations Zinc sulfide
Cadmium sulfide
 YesY (verify) (what is: YesY/N?)
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C (77 °F), 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Mercury sulfide, mercuric sulfide, mercury sulphide, or mercury(II) sulfide is a chemical compound composed of the chemical elements mercury and sulfur. It is represented by the chemical formula HgS. It is virtually insoluble in water.[4]

Crystal structure

Cinnabar from Nevada, USA

HgS is dimorphic with two crystal forms:

  • red cinnabar (α-HgS, hexagonal, hP6, P3221), is the form in which mercury is most commonly found in nature.
  • black, metacinnabar (β-HgS), is less common in nature and adopts the zinc blende (T2d-F43m) crystal structure.

Crystals of red, α-HgS, are optically active. This is caused by the Hg-S helices in the structure.[5]

Preparation and chemistry

β-HgS is precipitated as a black powder when H2S is bubbled through solutions of Hg(II) salts.[6] β-HgS is unreactive to all but concentrated acids.[4]
Mercury metal is produced from the cinnabar ore by roasting in air and condensing the vapour.[4]

Uses

α-HgS is used as a red pigment when it is known as vermilion. Vermilion is known to darken and this has been ascribed to conversion from red α-HgS to black β-HgS. Investigations at Pompeii where red walls when originally excavated have darkened has been ascribed to the formation of Hg-Cl compounds (e.g., corderoite, calomel, and terlinguaite) and calcium sulfate, gypsum, rather than β-HgS, which was not detected.[7]

See also

References

  1. L. I. Berger, Semiconductor Materials (1997) CRC Press ISBN 0-8493-8912-7
  2. Webminerals
  3. 3.0 3.1 Zumdahl, Steven S. (2009). Chemical Principles 6th Ed. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. A22. ISBN 0-618-94690-X. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1984). Chemistry of the Elements. Oxford: Pergamon Press. p. 1406. ISBN 0-08-022057-6. 
  5. Glazer, A. M.; Stadnicka K. (1986). "On the origin of optical activity in crystal structures". J. Appl. Cryst. 19 (2): 108–122. doi:10.1107/S0021889886089823. 
  6. Cotton, F. Albert; Wilkinson, Geoffrey; Murillo, Carlos A.; Bochmann, Manfred (1999), Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (6th ed.), New York: Wiley-Interscience, ISBN 0-471-19957-5 
  7. Cotte, M; Susini J, Metrich N, Moscato A, Gratziu C, Bertagnini A, Pagano M (2006). "Blackening of Pompeian Cinnabar Paintings: X-ray Microspectroscopy Analysis". Anal. Chem. 78 (21): 7484–7492. doi:10.1021/ac0612224. PMID 17073416. 

External links

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