Mercury sulfide
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Names | |
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IUPAC name
Mercury sulfide
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Other names | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol)
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ECHA InfoCard | 100.014.270 |
EC Number |
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PubChem CID
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UNII | |
UN number | 2025 |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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Properties | |
HgS | |
Molar mass | 232.66 g/mol |
Density | 8.10 g/cm3 |
Melting point | 580 °C (1,076 °F; 853 K) decomposes |
insoluble | |
Band gap | 2.1 eV (direct, |
−55.4·10−6 cm3/mol | |
Refractive index (nD)
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w=2.905, e=3.256, bire=0.3510 ( |
Thermochemistry | |
Std molar
entropy (S⦵298) |
78 J·mol−1·K−1[3] |
Std enthalpy of
formation ( |
−58 kJ·mol−1[3] |
Hazards | |
GHS labelling: | |
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Danger | |
H300, H310, H317, H330, H373, H410 | |
P261, P272, P280, P302+P352, P321, P333+P313, P363, P501 | |
NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
Flash point | Non-flammable |
Safety data sheet (SDS) | Fisher Scientific |
Related compounds | |
Other anions
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Mercury oxide mercury selenide mercury telluride |
Other cations
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Zinc sulfide cadmium sulfide |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Mercury sulfide, 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
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/HgS-alpha-cinnabar-xtal-1999-looking-down-a-axis-CM-3D-balls.png/150px-HgS-alpha-cinnabar-xtal-1999-looking-down-a-axis-CM-3D-balls.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/HgS-alpha-cinnabar-xtal-1999-looking-down-c-axis-CM-3D-balls.png/150px-HgS-alpha-cinnabar-xtal-1999-looking-down-c-axis-CM-3D-balls.png)
HgS is dimorphic with two crystal forms:
- red cinnabar (
α -HgS, trigonal, hP6, P3221) is the form in which mercury is most commonly found in nature. Cinnabar has rhombohedral crystal system. Crystals of red are optically active. This is caused by the Hg-S helices in the structure.[5] - black metacinnabar (
β -HgS) is less common in nature and adopts the zinc blende crystal structure (T2d-F43m).
Preparation and chemistry
Mercury is produced from the cinnabar ore by roasting in air and condensing the vapour.[4]
- HgS → Hg + S
Uses
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Cinnabar09.jpg/220px-Cinnabar09.jpg)
When
As the mercury cell as used in the chlor-alkali industry (Castner–Kellner process) is being phased out over concerns over mercury emissions, the metallic mercury from these setups is converted into mercury sulfide for underground storage.
With a band gap of 2.1 eV and its stability, it is possible to be used as photoelectrochemical cell.[8]
See also
- Mercury poisoning
- Mercury(I) sulfide (mercurous sulfide, Hg
2S), hypothetical
References
- ^ L. I. Berger, Semiconductor Materials (1997) CRC Press ISBN 0-8493-8912-7
- ^ Webminerals
- ^ a b Zumdahl, Steven S. (2009). Chemical Principles 6th Ed. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. A22. ISBN 978-0-618-94690-7.
- ^ a b c Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1984). Chemistry of the Elements. Oxford: Pergamon Press. p. 1406. ISBN 978-0-08-022057-4.
- ^ A. M. Glazer, K. Stadnicka (1986). "On the origin of optical activity in crystal structures". J. Appl. Crystallogr. 19 (2): 108–122. doi:10.1107/S0021889886089823. S2CID 96545158.
- ^ Newell, Lyman C.; Maxson, R. N.; Filson, M. H. (1939). "Red Mercuric Sulfide". Inorganic Syntheses. Vol. 1. pp. 19–20. doi:10.1002/9780470132326.ch7. ISBN 9780470132326.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Davidson, R. S.; Willsher, C. J. (March 1979). "Mercury(II) sulphide: a photo-stable semiconductor". Nature. 278 (5701): 238–239. doi:10.1038/278238a0. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 4363745.
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- Monosulfides
- Mercury(II) compounds
- Zincblende crystal structure