What is cinnabar for?

Cinnabar is the main mineral raw material for extracting mercury. Cinnabar is used as a sedative in traditional Chinese medicine; Cinnabar single crystal can be used as laser modulation crystal, which is one of the key materials of modern laser technology.

Cinnabar, also known as Cinnabar, cinnabar, red lead and mercury sand, is a kind of mercury sulfide (HgS) mineral. It contains 86.2% mercury and is the main mineral raw material for mercury smelting. Its crystal can be used as an important material for laser technology.

It is also a Chinese herbal medicine with sedative, sedative and bactericidal effects. China used it as an important raw material for an alchemist in ancient times. In the past, Chenzhou (now Yuanling, Hunan Province) was named after the best quality.

Extended data:

Natural cinnabar is a granular or massive aggregate with massive or tiny glumes of different sizes. The surface of large blocks is dark red, the surface of small blocks or particles is bright red, and the irregular blocks are bright red, as bright as a mirror, diamond-like and translucent.

Fragile, hardness 2-2.5, specific gravity 8. 09-8.20, striped vermilion to maroon. Artificial cinnabar is purple irregular block or vermilion particles and powder. Insoluble in strong acid, soluble in sodium sulfide and aqua regia.

Physical and chemical identification of the authenticity of cinnabar;

(1) is heated in a closed test tube to become a black vulcanizing pump; When sodium carbonate is heated, it becomes metallic mercury ball.

(2) Sulfur dioxide gas and metallic mercury balls are generated by combustion in an open tube.

(3) After the fine powder is soaked in hydrochloric acid, it is rubbed on a clean copper sheet, and the surface of the copper sheet is silvery white.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-cinnabar