Realgar (above) Orpiment (below) (Burning Realgar produces dense and long-lasting yellow smoke; Orpiment produces less dense, bluish-white smoke.)

【Name】

Realgar

 【Source】

Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic – Middle Class

 【Common Usage Level】

E

 【Botanical Origin】

Arsenic sulfide-containing ore.

 【Characteristics】

It is in irregular lumps, varying in size. It is entirely dark red or orange-red, and the surface is often covered with orange-yellow powder, which easily stains the hand orange-yellow when touched. It is heavy, loose, and easily broken. The fracture is rough, red, and bright. It has a slightly peculiar odor. Among them, those with bright color, translucent, and shiny are commonly called “Waist Yellow.”
Attached: Orpiment: It is in irregular lumps, varying in size. It is entirely lemon yellow, mixed with gray-green, and the surface is often covered with a layer of yellow powder, slightly shiny, and uneven. It is relatively heavy, brittle, and easily broken. It can be peeled off layer by layer, and the fracture is uneven. The crystalline block is columnar, translucent, and has a resin-like luster; if it contains inclusions, it is gray-green, opaque, and has no luster, with a slightly peculiar odor.

 【Identification】

《Collection of Effective Formulas》: “Although there are many drugs to ward off snakes, only Wudu Realgar is superior.” 《Newly Revised Materia Medica》: “The ones from Shimen are the worst, while those from Dangchang and Wudu are the best.” 《Illustrated Materia Medica》: “Also like Mica, the one that can be split with layers is the best.” 《Classified Materia Medica》: “Orpiment: The one with a color like gold and like Mica that can be split with layers is the best,” “Orpiment: According to the Qianning Records, the best is the one that is as soft as molten gold,” “Orpiment: The best is the one that is splashed with blood from ships.” 《Classified Materia Medica》: “The one that can kill insects is genuine,” “The one that is clear and does not contain stones, and its color is like a cockscomb is genuine,” “The one that is completely red and bright is the best,” “The one that looks like a francolin’s liver color is the best.” 《Universal Relief Prescriptions》: “All Amethyst, White Quartz, <a href='https://whatsintcm.com/dt_articles/硃砂/’>Cinnabar, Realgar, Sulfur, etc. must be bright and translucent with fresh and clean textures to be good, otherwise, they will cause the body to dry out, cause fever, dry mouth and death.” 《Universal Relief Prescriptions》: “Realgar with a deep yellow-red color like a cockscomb is good, do not use the stinky yellow one.” 《Collection of Medical Formulas》: “Realgar with a color like a cockscomb, without stones and not stinky is good.” 《Collection of Medical Formulas》: “Realgar from Danliao’s formula with a deep yellow-red color like a cockscomb is good, do not use the stinky yellow one. The transparent one from Shi Zhai’s formula is finely ground. The word Realgar refers to the one with a red and clear color being good.” 《Essentials of Materia Medica》: “The one that is soft like molten gold and can be split is the best,” “The one that is pure and not mixed and shines like a cockscomb is the best,” “The one from Jiezhou with a color like gold and like Mica that can be split with layers is the best.” 《Compendium of Materia Medica》: “But if you grind it on nails, the one that colors well is good,” “Also, burn the bottom of an iron and draw on it with Orpiment, the one with a red-yellow line is good.” 《Compendium of Materia Medica》: “The one that is wiped with mercury feet and iron powder and then has a yellow coating is genuine,” “[Quan said] But the one from the West is really good,” “The one with an iron color is the best,” “Orpiment, the one with leaves is the best.” 《Essentials of Materia Medica》: “The red one resembling a cockscomb, clear, not stinky, and weighing three to five taels is good.” 《Collection of Strange Formulas》: “Realgar, the size of a soapberry, the one that is clean and bright is good.” 《A Summary of the Crimson Bag》: “Realgar, the one from the old mine is good.” 《Seeking Truth in Materia Medica》: “The best is to take the one that has not mated.” 《Identification of Good and Bad》: Stone Orpiment has the yellow color of gold, the one with light and soft is the best, the one with black is useless.”

The one with bright red color, large size, clear and bright with no inclusions is good.
Realgar and Orpiment Differentiation:
(1) Realgar contains arsenic sulfide (AsS), while Orpiment contains mainly arsenic trisulfide (As2S3). Realgar is red or orange-red, while Orpiment is yellow. In the original mining area, Orpiment often coexists with Realgar, but Realgar never appears on the ground. If Realgar is exposed to sunlight and air for a long time, it can be partially converted to Orpiment, called secondary Orpiment.
(2) Realgar easily melts when burned, forming a red-purple liquid, and produces yellow-white smoke with a strong garlic odor; after cooling, the melt solidifies into a red-purple solid, and the pure one solidifies into an orange-red solid. Orpiment easily melts when burned, forming a black liquid, and also produces yellow-white smoke with a strong garlic odor; after cooling, the melt solidifies into a red-black solid.
(3) Both Realgar and Orpiment are insoluble in water and hydrochloric acid, soluble in nitric acid, the solution is yellow, and soluble in sodium hydroxide solution, the solution is brown.

 【Identification Terminology】

1. Waist Yellow: Realgar with a bright color, bright and transparent amber pendant, and loose and brittle texture.

 【Chapter】

Minerals