Realgar crystals, Royal Reward Mine, King County, Washington, US
General
Category
Sulfide mineral
Formula (repeating unit)
As4S4 or AsS
IMA symbol
Rlg[1]
Strunz classification
2.FA.15a
Crystal system
Monoclinic
Crystal class
Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol)
Space group
P21/n (no. 14)
Unit cell
a = 9.325(3) Å b = 13.571(5) Å c = 6.587(3) Å β = 106.43°; Z = 16
Identification
Color
Red to yellow-orange; in polished section, pale gray, with abundant yellow to red internal reflections
Crystal habit
Prismatic striated crystals; more commonly massive, coarse to fine granular, or as incrustations
Twinning
Contact twins on {100}
Cleavage
Good on {010}; less so on {101}, {100}, {120}, and {110}
Tenacity
Sectile, slightly brittle
Mohs scale hardness
1.5–2
Luster
Resinous to greasy
Streak
Red-orange to red
Diaphaneity
Transparent
Specific gravity
3.56
Optical properties
Biaxial (−)
Refractive index
nα = 2.538 nβ = 2.684 nγ = 2.704
Birefringence
δ = 0.166
Pleochroism
Nearly colorless to pale golden yellow
2V angle
40°
Dispersion
r > v, very strong
Other characteristics
Toxic and carcinogenic.
Disintegrates on long exposure to light to a powder composed of pararealgar or arsenolite and orpiment.
References
[2][3][4][5][6]
Realgar (/riˈælɡɑːr,-ɡər/ree-AL-gar, -gər), also known as ″arsenic blende″, ″ruby sulphur″ or ″ruby of arsenic″, is an arsenic sulfide mineral with the chemical formula α-As4S4. It is a soft, sectile mineral occurring in monoclinic crystals, or in granular, compact, or powdery form, often in association with the related mineral, orpiment (As2S3). It is orange-red in color, melts at 320 °C, and burns with a bluish flame releasing fumes of arsenic and sulfur. Realgar is soft with a Mohs hardness of 1.5 to 2 and has a specific gravity of 3.5. Its streak is orange colored. It is trimorphous with pararealgar and bonazziite.[2]
Realgar (/riˈælɡɑːr, -ɡər/ ree-AL-gar, -gər), also known as ″arsenic blende″, ″ruby sulphur″ or ″ruby of arsenic″, is an arsenic sulfide mineral with...
Realgar wine or Xionghuang wine (Chinese: Chinese: 雄黃酒) is a Chinese alcoholic drink that consists of huangjiu ("yellow wine") dosed with powdered realgar...
[citation needed] Realgar wine or Xionghuang wine is a Chinese alcoholic drink that is made from Chinese liquor dosed with powdered realgar, a yellow-orange...
Orpiment and realgar share similar physical properties and histories of use by humans. In Chinese, the names for orpiment and realgar are Ci-Huang and...
gradually from realgar under exposure to light. Its name derives from the fact that its elemental composition is identical to realgar, As4S4. It is soft...
sulfides (orpiment, realgar) and oxides have been known and used since ancient times. Zosimos (c. 300 AD) describes roasting sandarach (realgar) to obtain cloud...
ore minerals — orpiment and realgar,: 135, 239, 438 in composition — arsenic sulfides. Both of these minerals, realgar and orpiment, have been mined...
alcoholic drink is realgar wine: consumed during the Dragon Boat Festival, realgar wine consisted of huangjiu mixed with realgar, an arsenic sulfide...
sulfides. Commonly found as small octahedra it is white, but impurities of realgar or orpiment may give it a pink or yellow hue. It can be associated with...
elixirs, often using toxic elements like cinnabar, lead, mercury, and realgar, as well as ritual and purificatory practices. After this point, Taoism...
lovesharers. Realgar and Malachite, an envoy of the Patriarch, visit Shora to place it under Patriarchal rule. After this visit, Realgar, Berenice, and...
alchemists used saltpeter in processing the "four yellow drugs" (sulfur, realgar, orpiment, arsenic trisulfide). The first confirmed reference to what can...
Caves Books Ltd., 1986), pp. 174–175. Schafer, Edward H. "Orpiment and Realgar in Chinese Technology and Tradition," Journal of the American Oriental...
Edward H. Schafer, Su accurately described the translucent quality of fine realgar, its origin from pods found in rocky river gorges, its matrix being pitted...
organic derivatives have nitrogen in the oxidation state of −1. Similarly, realgar has arsenic–arsenic bonds, so the arsenic's oxidation state is +II. A corresponding...
stone. Stibnite occurs in hydrothermal deposits and is associated with realgar, orpiment, cinnabar, galena, pyrite, marcasite, arsenopyrite, cervantite...
stannous and stannic chlorides, with alkali. Used for glass coloring Realgar – arsenic disulfide, an ore of arsenic. Regulus of antimony Resin of copper...
being possible sources of some pharmacological actions. It is used in realgar/Indigo naturalis, a medication for acute promyelocytic leukemia. Indirubin...
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