picture of the mineral
Chemismus HgS
crystal system trigonal
Kristallklasse ___
color blood-redly to black
line color dark red
hardness 2 to 2.5
density 8
gloss diamond, Metallglanz
opacity translucently
break splitterig, spröd
fissileness perfectly
Habitus dicktafelig
frequent crystal faces ___
twin accomodation ___
crystal optics
refraction indices ___
birefringence ___
Pleochroismus ___
optical orientation ___
of the Zes-axis
2v z ~ ___
further characteristics
chemical behavior cannot be precipitated from mercury (II) salt solutions by hydrogen sulfide than mercury (II) sulfide
similar minerals ___
radioactivity radioactively
magnetism dia.-magnetically (not magnetically)
special characteristics ___

Zinnober or Cinnabarit is a blood-red,occasionally also black sulfide - mineral with a hardness of 2 to 2.5 and a low-red line color. It crystallized in the trigonalen crystal system and has the chemical composition HgS.

A very similar likewise blood-red mineral is or intoxication-red, however a substantially smaller density has.

Table of contents


Zinnober can be precipitated chemically from mercury (II) salt solutions by introducing hydrogen sulfide as mercury (II) sulfide. First the metastable, black, cubic sulfide (Metacinnabarit) precipitates. This goeswith contact with ammonium polysulfide solution in the process of some days into the more with difficulty soluble, hexagonal red modification over.


one finds Zinnober both in more substantial and in crystalline form mainly in Bruchzonen around volcanic chimneys and on hot sources. The world largest occurrence findsitself in the proximity of the Spanish city Almaden.

Further discovery sites:

meaning as raw material

Zinnober is with a metal - content of 87% most important and most frequent mercury - mineral. As red color pigment is extreme itwith difficulty water-solubly and can be used therefore in painter colors or in the color box as tin-upperred safe. Zinnober has a good cover strength, can however with strong lighting color itself dark. As painter color one can find Zinnober also under the following designations: Cassiterite waiter, Cinnabar, Mercurblende, Minium, mercury-sulfide-red, redSulfur mercury and million. The metal finds in medicaments, batteries and in the chemical industry use.


since that 7. Century v. Chr. Zinnober is diminished as ore. Tin upper mines from the time of the bathing he culture are for example from Suplja Stena inSerbia proven.

Its historical application is as pigment, and/or after extraction of mercury as material for mirrors. As pigment it was already used since the antiquity in the winding , board and book painting. The production from the two elements mercury and sulfur becameprobably in China already in the Middle Ages invented, while in Europe Zinnober was only manufactured starting from 1778 industrially.

See also: List of minerals


the word “Zinnober” is used in German also in the colloquial language. A Zinnober is therefore something that worthlessly andis unreasonable, or around which unnecessary attention one makes. Etymologisch can it be derived probably from the fact that the mineral Zinnober is considered as imperfect. An example of the use would be the sentence: “He did not understand the whole Zinnober around the world championship in Germany. ”

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