Vermilion Artificial

Mercury compounds (for example mercury(II) chloride) are used in medicine because of their antiseptic character. The artificial red mercury(Il) sulphide is the artist s vermilion . Mercury(II) sulphate is a catalyst in the manufacture of ethanal from ethyne ... 

Vermilion and cinnabar are two bright red, toxic minerals that share an identical composition (they are both composed of mercury sulfide) but have different crystal structures. Two kinds of vermilion are known one of natural origin and another made artificially. Finely ground natural vermilion may vary in hue from red to liver-brown and even to black. Artificial vermilion was made from mercury and sulfur the method of preparation seems to have been developed by the Chinese and was introduced into Europe only during the eighth century c.e. (Gettens et al. 1972). 

The most important use of this compound, the principal ore of mercury, is for making mercury metal and its salts. Another major application is pigment. Artificially prepared scarlet product, vermilion, is used as artists pigment... 

Chinese Vermilion, which is so rich in color as to command five or six times the price of the European product, appears to be prepared in the ordinary way, leaving nothing to account for the superior brilliancy of shade except the sunnier climate. By careful selection, the finest portions arc collected, and, if necessary, ground and washed several times. In making the artificial product, one part of sulphur and four of mercury are introduced into an earthen pot, to which an iron cover is luted and bound with wire the pot with its contents is then placed in a fire of dried camel s dung. After sublimation, the cover is removed aud the pot broken, and the purest of the sublimate picked out from, the less-colored product, ground very fine, and the powder sifted into a large vessel of watar. When the red product lias subsided, the supernatant... 

Smoke shells and rockets are used to produce smoke clouds for military signaling and, in daylight fireworks, for ornamental effects. The shell case or rocket head is filled with a fine powder of the desired color, which powdered material need not necessarily be one which will tolerate heat, and this is dispersed in the form of a colored cloud by the explosion of a small bag of gunpowder placed as near to its center as may be. Artificial vermilion (red), ultramarine (blue), Paris green, chrome yellow, chalk, and ivory black are among the materials which have been used, but almost any material which has a bright color when powdered and which does not cake together may be employed. 

The principal red and yellow pigments are Lead chromate chrome yellow, orange and red), zinc chromate zinc or buttercup yellow), barium chromate lemon yellow or yellow ultramarine) various products based on jerric oxide, hydrated (yellow) or anhydrous (red), both natural yellow and red ochres) and artificial Mars yellow, English red, etc.) red oxide oj lead minium or red lead) mercuric sulphide cinnabar, vermilion) antimony oxysulphide antimony cinnabar) cadmium sulphide cadmium yellow) basic lead antimonate Naples yellow). 

Mixtures of minium with other colours or with white substances, heightened in colour by artificial organic dyes (usually eosin, cochineal scarlet, crocein, ponceau and the like), or, in some cases, white substances (barium sulphate) coloured with lakes of artificial organic dyes, are often sold as imitations or substitutes of cinnabar and vermilion. 

Cinnabar and vermilion usually contain only small proportions of impurities from the prime materials vermilion may also contain impurities due to the method of preparation, namely, small quantities of metallic mercury, mercuric nitrate and free sulphur. These products are, however, often adulterated with ferric oxide, minium, chrome red, brickdust, gypsum, heavy spar, clay, ammonium chloride, dragon s blood, carmine and artificial organic dyes. Sometimes also arsenic and antimony sulphides are added to modify the colour. 

Synonym(s) Colloidal mercury liquid silver mercury, metallic (DOT) quicksilver metallic mercuryb hydrargyrum0 Bichloride of mercury mercury bichloride01 mercury chlorided mercury dichloride mercury perchloride mercury (II) chloride perchloride of mercury corrosive sublimated corrosive mercury chloride dichloromercury Etiops mineral0 mercury sulfide, blackd vermilion Chinese red C.l. Pigment Red 106 C.1.77766° quicksilver vermilion Chinese vermilion red mercury sulfide artificial cinnabar red mercury sulfuretd... 

Scarlet lake may refer to either a cochineal lake or, according to Field (1835), a crimson lake and vermilion or iodine scarlet (mercury iodide qq.v). Salter (1869) states that scarlet lake is prepared in the form of drops from cochineal, and is of a fine transparent red colour and excellent body... It is generally tinted with vermihon. Heaton (1928) indicates that this was still a term of current use, listing two meanings, one a pigment based on cochineal and vermilion and another a scarlet from artificial dyes . 

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