Coccinite is a rare
mercury iodide
An iodide ion is the ion I−. Compounds with iodine in formal oxidation state −1 are called iodides. In everyday life, iodide is most commonly encountered as a component of iodized salt, which many governments mandate. Worldwide, iodine de ...
mineral with chemical formula of HgI
2,
mercury(II) iodide
Mercury(II) iodide is a chemical compound with the molecular formula Hg I2. It is typically produced synthetically but can also be found in nature as the extremely rare mineral coccinite. Unlike the related mercury(II) chloride it is hardly solu ...
.
It was first discovered in
Casas Viejas
Casas Viejas is a city located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 6,754 inhabitants.
Casas Viejas is located in the '' Ruta del Toro''.
Main sights
* Cueva del Tajo de las Figuras
*Iglesi ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
; it has also been reported from
Broken Hill,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, and from a uranium mine in
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
and old mercury workings in the
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
[ At the Thuringia deposit the mineral occurs as a sublimation product resulting from fires associated with ]pyrite
The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral.
Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue giv ...
-bearing graptolitic slate.[
]
Discovery
The discovery was announced, by a man mentioned in Comptes rendus only as del Rio,Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
School of Mining. The news spread through the reading that journal and direct letters of del Rio. In the subsequent years, the discovery was mentioned several times.
One of the earliest notes of the discovery is a translation of a letter of del Rio to Freiesleben.
In 1839, it was described as lemon coloured spots in the sandstone of Casas Vijecas. This description was also given in a Spanish book printed in 1844. In 1836, the communication of Yniestra to Arago about a discovery made by del Rio was published in Comptes rendus as a short paper. This publication recounts that a mineral sample was deposited at the school of mines by a Mr. Jose Casas Viejas from the Querétaro province, and that the mineral had a red-brown color.
References
{{Reflist, 2
del Rio
External links
Mercury(II) minerals
Halide minerals
Tetragonal minerals
Minerals in space group 137