Minerals

1
1. Matter-
Anything that has mass and takes up space.
2. Element-
The most basic form of any substance. Can not be
broken down into anything more simple.
The building blocks of mater. (Protons neutrons
and electrons make up atoms.)
3. Atom-
A group of the same atoms that are linked
together by chemical bonds.
4. Molecule-
A substance that contains atoms of 2 or more
elements that are chemically combined.
5. Compound-
A group of 2 or more elements that are physically
combined.
6. Mixture-
The chemical make-up of a substance. (the
recipe of a substance)
7. Chemical Formula-
2
Minerals

• I. Elements, Compounds Mixtures

A. Matter - Anything that has mass and takes up
space.
B. All matter can be classified into three areas
1. Elements
2. Compounds
3. Mixtures
C. Element - is a substance that can not be
separated into a simpler substance by ordinary
chemical means.
1. Ex Oxygen or O2, Carbon or C12, Hydrogen or
H2, and Nitrogen or N2.
2. Atom - The smallest part of an element. The
basic building blocks of matter.
3
Minerals
3. Molecules - Two or more atoms held together by
chemical forces.
A.) It is possible to have one atom make up an
element.
B.) It is also possible that the element exists
as a molecule.
D. Compound - made up of atoms of different
elements that are connected together.
1. Ex. H2O, CO2, NaCl.
E. Mixture - Two or more substances physically
combined.
1. Ex. Rocks, Sea Water, Air, Soil.
4
Classification
1. Rubber Band 2. Eraser 3. Paper Clip 4.
Straw 5. Red String 6. Ruler Plastic 7. Copper
8. Iron 9. Wooden Block 10. Nylon Block 11.
Index Card 12. Rock (Gneiss) 13. Candy 14.
Mineral (Graphite) 15. Candle
5
Classification Cont.
1. Elements A.) Paper Clip B.) Copper C.)
Graphite D.) Wood E.) Iron
2. Compounds A.) Rubber Band B.) Eraser C.) Red
String D.) Ruler E.) Index Card F.) Straw
G.) Nylon
3. Mixtures A.) Rock 1 B.) Candle C.) Candy
6
Mineral Characteristics

• I. Mineral Characteristics

A. Mineral - is a naturally occurring, inorganic
solid with a definite structure and composition.
B. There are more than 4000 minerals found on
earth.
C. All minerals share five characteristics.
1. All minerals are formed by one of three
natural processes.
A.) Formed from cooled magma.
- Magma - hot melted rock under earths surface.
B.) Form from minerals dissolved in liquid.
- After the water evaporates the mineral stays
behind dries. This forms the mineral.
7
C.) New minerals could form from existing
minerals.

• They could be transformed by
• Heat
• Pressure
• Chemical Reaction

• Mineral atoms change without melting, allowing
  the atoms to recombine in new ways.

8
Mineral Characteristics Cont.
2. All minerals are inorganic.
A.) Minerals are not alive, never were, and were
not made up by once living things.
B.) Example Is coal a mineral? Is Oil a
mineral? Coal and Oil formed from one living
things.
3. All minerals are solid and have a definite
shape.
A.) Liquids Gases could never be minerals
because they do not have a definite shape.
4. All minerals have definite compositions.
A.) Some rocks are made of different things.
5. A minerals atoms are arranged in a definite
pattern, that repeats over and over again.
9
Mineral Characteristics Cont.
A.) The repeating pattern of atoms are called
crystals.
B.) When magma cools slowly, large crystals form.

C.) When magma cools rapidly, small crystals
form.

• II. Mineral Identification

A. Properties of minerals
1. Appearance - you cannot rely on a minerals
appearance alone to tell them apart. Ex. Gold and
Pyrite (Fools Gold).
2. Hardness - is how easily a mineral can be
scratched.
A.) We can use hardness to identify minerals by
using the Mohs Scale of Hardness.
10
Mineral Identification Cont.
B.) An object with a hardness of 1 is the
softest, and an object with a hardness of 10 is
the hardest mineral.
C.) Objects with the same hardness will scratch
each other.
D.) Which mineral is harder Quartz or Calcite?

3. Luster - Describes how light is reflected from
the minerals surface.
A.) Luster will be either metallic or
nonmetallic.
B.) Metallic - shines like metal.
C.) Nonmetallic - does not shine like a metal.

D.) Ex. Gold - metallic, Quartz - nonmetallic.

11
Mineral Identification Cont.
4. Color - Can help in identifying minerals.
A.) Usually not enough.
B.) Gold and Pyrite.
5. Streak - is the color of the mineral when it
is broken up and powdered.
A.) When a mineral is rubbed across an object
with a greater hardness a streak of color is
sometimes left behind.
B.) Ex. Gold leaves a yellow streak, and Pyrite
leaves a greenish brown streak.
12
Mineral Identification Cont.
6. Cleavage - Minerals have cleavage if it can
break across a smooth flat surface.
A.) Ex. A layer cake taken apart in layers is
broken with perfect cleavage.
B.) Halite and Calcite break with perfect
cleavage.
7. Fracture - Minerals that break with rough or
jagged edges have fracture.
A.) Grabbing a chunk out of a layer cake would be
like breaking a mineral with fracture.
B.) Quartz has fracture.
13
Mineral Identification Cont.
8. Special Properties - some mineral have unique
properties.
Examples
A.) Calcite fizzes when Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
is put on it.
B.) Magnetite is attracted to magnets.
C.) Halite dissolves in water.

• III. Uses of Minerals

A. Gems - a valuable mineral highly prized
because they are rare and beautiful.
1. Most minerals are forms of gems.
14
Uses of Minerals
2. Example Amethyst is a gem form of Quartz.

3. The gems value depends on its rarity, size
and cut.
4. The most rare and valuable gems are called
Precious Stones.
5. All other gems are called Semiprecious Stones.

A.) Examples Amethyst, Turquoise, and Topaz.

B.) Ores - a mineral that contains a useful
substance that can be extracted and used for a
profit.
1. Iron can be extracted from Hematite.
2. Aluminum can be extracted from Bauxite.

15
Uses of Minerals
3. The value of an ore depends on its supply
its demand and cost of extraction.
4. If it cost raises, or demands fall, a
substance may not be considered an ore.