CINABRIO: What is, properties, uses and toxicity

The Cinabrio, also known as Cinabarita is a mineral belonging to the group of sulphides And it is composed approximately of a 85% mercury and 15% sulfur. Its chemical formula corresponds to mercury sulphide: HGS. The crystals that constitute it are usually scarce and striking, with well -developed triangular faces and a vitreous brightness in living red tones that make the crystalline specimens of this mineral that is highly appreciated by collectors. The cinnabar constitutes the main and practically the only mercury source in the world.

Where can we find it? Many Cinabrio deposits are associated with active hot springs in volcanic activity areas, but can also be found in reefs, that is, fissures produced in the earth’s crust that are filled with minerals. It is also present in impregnation deposits on porous rocks, such as in Almadén, a Spanish town of Ciudad Real that constitutes one of the largest cinnabar sources that exist, with more than 2,000 years of uninterrupted mercury production. In turn, it has been found in other places in the European continent such as Germany, Italy and Slovenia; in America, in countries such as Peru, Colombia, Mexico and the United States; and even in China, in the Asian continent.

You may also be interested in reading this article about mineral resources: what are, classification, examples and importance.

The Cinnabrio has various physical properties that characterize it. Here we present six of them:

• It is intense red.
• It presents an adamantine luster or brightness on crystalline to earthy faces.
• Its crystalline system is trigonal.
• It has a hardness of 2 to 2.5.
• Its density is 8,176 g/cm³.
• Its fracture generates irregular to subconcoidal pieces (shell -shaped breakage).

There are studies that show that Cinnabrio has been widely used since ancient times. Let’s know some of its uses:

• Pigment: It is known that, in ancient times, the cinnabar was widely used as a pigment for its intense red color in cave paints, murals, in ceramic, in decoration of objects and even in the writing of books, with the aim of making the letters more crisp.
• Funeral rituals: Throughout history, skulls and remains of human skeletons painted with Cinabrio and it has been discovered that this mineral was used in funeral ceremonies or rituals.
• Mining Activity: Because from the cinnabar, mercury is obtained, this is widely exploited in the mines. In turn, mercury is used to separate gold and silver. In the following article we talk about artisanal mining and its effects on the environment.
• Collectible mineral: Its brightness in live red tones makes it a mineral highly appreciated and valued by collectors. Unfortunately, these properties that make these crystals especially colorful, disappear with exposure to light, since they blackens and lose their brightness. For this reason it is important to keep them to the shelter of the Direct Light Exhibition.

Yes ok The toxicity of the cinnabrio is less than that of mercurythis can generate severe impacts on health if it is touched, ingest or breathe. In ancient times, the vapors due to the exposure of the fire to the fire were probably aspired (either voluntarily or involuntary) during ceremonies or rituals, so it is very likely that in the participants there have been altered states of consciousness and health problems.

We know that the separation of the Cinnabrio in Mercury and Sulfur is necessary to be able to take advantage of the element industrially. In fact, mercury due to its High voltage vapor property It is a potential danger to people’s health. Where there is a certain amount of liquid mercury, the atmosphere will contain high concentrations of the element that In a gaseous state it is highly toxicand the inhalation of their vapors for prolonged times generates certain Diseases such as Hydrargrism or Mercurialism: The same disease that affected the nineteenth century hatters for using this metal for the manufacture of the felt, or who obtained the dental amalgams for the treatment of caries.

On the other hand, in bodies of water contaminated by mercury, this element can accumulate in organisms by means of aquatic trophic networks in a phenomenon called bioaccumulation or biomagnification, where the Topes predators will have a greater concentration of mercury in their tissues. This fact not only causes negative impacts on these species, but can generate Food poisoning In humans who feed on fish. We recommend you read heavy metal contamination in the water.

The high concentration of mercury in natural systems is not a coincidence, since they are mainly product of anthropic activities such as mining activity, the use of products that contain mercury and deforestation. In this article we explain what are the causes of deforestation.

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