Lab 3

Cinnabar (HgS)

Cinnabar is the chief mineral composed of the element mercury, and is a very important ore mineral. Though most Cinnabar is massive and uninteresting in habit, several localities produce phenomenal and strikingly colored red crystals that stand out with beautiful contrast on top of a white matrix. - See more about Cinnabar here!

Diamond (C)

Diamond has many unequaled qualities and is very unique among minerals. It is the hardest known substance, it is the greatest conductor of heat, it has the highest melting point of any substance (7362° F or 4090° C), and it has the highest refractive index of any natural mineral. Diamond is number 10 on the Mohs scale, and is 40 times harder than Corundum, which is number 9 on the Moh's scale. It also has the most dense atomical configuration of any mineral, and is transparent over the greatest number of wavelengths. Because of heat conduction, Diamonds are cold to the feel at or below room temperature. When heated, a Diamond will remain hot long after the heat source is removed. - See more about Diamond here!