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Chap. 2 Minerals. 2.1 Notes Properties of Minerals. What is a Mineral?. A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition. A mineral must be formed naturally . It must also be inorganic .
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Chap. 2 Minerals 2.1 Notes Properties of Minerals
What is a Mineral? • A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition.
A mineral must be formed naturally. It must also be inorganic. A mineral must have a definite chemical composition or range of compositions. A mineral is always a solid, with a definite volume and shape. It’s particles must form a crystal (flat sides, sharp edges and corners). A mineral must have these 5 characteristics
Minerals, Compounds, and Elements • Almost all minerals are compounds (2 or more elements). • Some elements occur in nature in a pure form and not as part of a compound (copper, silver, gold). • Almost all pure, solid elements are metals.
How to identify minerals. • Color can be used to identify only those few minerals that always have their own characteristic color. Ex. Malachite is always green and azurite is always blue.
Mineral identification • The streak of a mineral is the color of its powder. The color of a mineral may vary, but its streak will not. • Luster is another test used to identify minerals. It is the term used to describe how light is reflected from a mineral’s surface.
Mineral identification • Each mineral has a characteristic density. • Density = Mass Volume • One of the best ways to identify a mineral is to test its hardness, using Mohs hardness scale and a scratch test.
1 = Talc 2 = Gypsum 3 = Calcite 4 = Fluorite 5 = Apatite (fluorapatite) 6 = Orthoclase 7 = Quartz 8 = Topaz 9 = Corundum 10 = Diamond ....your fingernail has a hardness of 2.5, ....a penny has a hardness of about 3.5, ....glass and a steel nail have nearly equal hardness of 5.5 and ....a streak plate has a hardness of 6.5. Mohs hardness scale
The crystals of each mineral grow atom by atom to form that mineral’s crystal structure. (known as crystal systems). Another way to identify a mineral is by the way it breaks apart. A mineral that splits easily along flat surfaces has the property called cleavage. Fracture describes how a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way. Mineral identification
Special Properties of minerals • Some minerals can be identified by special properties. Ex. Magnetism and fluorescence. Some minerals glow under ultraviolet light. They have fluorescence.