Coccinite

Coccinite is an extremely rare mineral. Its chemical formula is HgI₂, mercury(II) iodide. ^[1][2]

Discovery

The discovery was announced by del Rio in the journal of the Mexico city School of Mining. The news spread by reading that journal and a direct letters of del Rio. In the subsequent years several times the discovery was mentioned. One of the earliest notes of the discovery is a translation of a letter of del Rio to Freiesleben in^{[clarification needed]} In 1839 it was described as lemon coloured spots in the sandstone of Casas Vijecas.^[3] This description was also given in a Spanish book printed in 1844.^[4] In 1836 a short paper was published in Comptes rendus which was the communication of Yniestra to Arago about a discovery of del Rio. In this publication the 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 colour.^[5] In 1861 the book A glossary of mineralogy by Henry William Bristow states that it has been found in Casas Viejas in Mexico as reddish brown particles on mercury selenide.^[6] Shortly after in 1862 a book about chemical technology gives the only location where the mineral can be found with a Mexican region Cavas Viejas.^[7]

References

1. ^ Witzke, T. (1997). "New data on the mercury iodide mineral coccinite, HgI₂". Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie - Monatshefte: 505–510. 
2. ^ Jambor, John; Pertsev, Nicolai; Roberts, Andrew (1998). "New Mineral Names". American Mineralogist 83: 907–910. http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/ammin/TOC/Abstracts/1998_Abstracts/JA98_Abstracts/Jambor_p907_98.pdf. 
3. ^ Britain), Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great (1839). The Penny cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. http://books.google.com/?id=ehLnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA103&dq=Casa+Viejas+mercury&q=Casas%20Viejas. 
4. ^ Domeyko, Ignacio (1844). Tratado de ensayes, tanto por la via seca como por la via humeda, de toda clase de minerales y pastas de cobre, plomo, plata, oro, mercurio, &c: con descripcion de los caracteres de los principales minerales y productos de las artes en America, y en particular en Chile. http://books.google.com/?id=GaQGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA282&dq=ioduro+de+mercurio+%22del+rio%22&q=ioduro%20de%20mercurio%20%22del%20rio%22. 
5. ^ "Une nouvelle combinaison naturelle de l'iode". Comptes rendus: 582–583. 1836. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2962t.image.hl.r=del+Rio.f486.pagination.langEN. 
6. ^ Bristow, Henry William (1861). A glossary of mineralogy. http://books.google.com/?id=WA0RAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA90&dq=Coccinite&q=Casas%20Viejas. 
7. ^ Richardson, Thomas (1863). Chemical technology; or, Chemistry in its applications to the arts & manufactures. http://books.google.com/?id=mmw1AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA558&dq=%22Cavas+Viejas%22+mercury&q=%22Cavas%20Viejas%22%20mercury. 

• del Rio

External links

• Image of Coccinite by T. Witzke
• webminerals: Coccinite
• Mindata: Coccinite

See also

• Mercury(I) iodide