PROPERTIES AND

TYPES OF MINERALS
• Mineral: A naturally occurring chemical
compound having a definite chemical
composition and crystal structure is called as
mineral
• Ore: a natural aggregation of minerals from
which a metal or metallic compound can be
extracted economically is known as ore
• Example – clay and bauxite both contains
Aluminium so both are minerals of aluminium.
But Aluminium can be extracted economically
form bauxite only so bauxite is regarded as ore
of aluminium
 Physical Properties of Minerals
• Physical properties of minerals depend upon the
kinds and arrangement of atoms in their crystal
structures.
• Mineral processing makes use of many physical
properties of minerals and rocks.
• The difference in behavior between the valuable
and waste minerals affords the methods for the
separation of the former from the later.
• The various physical properties of the minerals
include transparency, lusture, color, specific gravity,
hardness, magnetic properties, electrical
properties, radioactive and optical properties.
 Transparency
• The ease with which we can see through a material
is known as transparency
• Three terms are familiar with transparency
- Opaque
- Transparent
- Translucent
• The opaque minerals are those through which no
light can be seen
• Transparent minerals are those through which can
be seen through clearly. Ex – Diamond, Quartz etc.
• Translucent minerals are those through which a
little light can be seen
 Lustre
• The amount and quality of the reflection of light
from the mineral surface is known as Lustre
• The lustre of a mineral refers to its surface
appearance
• Lustre depends upon the ways in which the atoms
• Minerals can be classified into two categories based
on their appearance
• Minerals which look like metals are said to have
metallic lustre
• All the other minerals said to have Non-metallic
lustre
 Colour
• The colour of a mineral is due to the absorption of
certain wave lengths of light energy by the atoms
making up the crystal and the remaining
wavelengths of the light are not absorbed give the
sensation of colour to the eye
• Metallic minerals generally are of constant colour
unless some surface alteration takes place
• Non-metallic minerals usually vary in colour
• Certain minerals show colour due to the presence
of small amounts impurities or inclusions
 Luminescence
• The property of emission of light by a mineral
which is not the direct result of incandescence
• Minerals which luminesce during exposure to UV
light and X-rays are called fluorescent
• Minerals which luminesce even after removal of
UV light and x-rays are called phosphorescent
• Fluorescence is produced when the energy of
the short wave radiation is absorbed by the
mineral and released as longer wave radiation
 Specific gravity
• It is the ratio of density of a substance to that of a
standard substance and it is a constant
• Difference in specific gravity forms the basis of a
class of mineral processing is known as gravity
concentration methods
• Specific gravity differences between minerals
cause differences in their behavior when settling
in a fluid
• A mixture of minerals having different specific
gravities can be separated in mineral processing
 Hardness
• It may be defined as the ability of a mineral to resist
scratching
• The hardness of minerals depends on the kind of
atoms in them and the way in which they are
arranged
• Minerals hardness can be measured by using Moh’s
scale
• In this scale, materials are numbered 1 to 10 in
order of increasing hardness
• According to moh’s scale, diamond is the hardest
material and talc powder is softest material
 Magnetic Properties
• Magnetic properties refer to the ways in which
minerals react when placed in a magnetic filed
• Some minerals may be strongly attracted or
repelled to the magnet where as others may be
attracted or repelled less
• The magnetic properties of minerals have some
important applications in mineral processing
• A mixture of magnetic and non-magnetic
minerals can be separated by applying a
magnetic field
 Electrical Properties
• Electrical properties refer to the behavior of
minerals when affected by electricity or to the
ways in which minerals may produce electric
currents
• Most of minerals are either conductors or non-
conductors of electricity
• Examples for conductor minerals – oxide and
sulphide minerals
• Examples for non-conductor minerals – quartz,
calcite and tourmaline etc.
• It is possible to separate two or more minerals
based on their difference in conductivities
 Radioactive Properties
• The minerals that emit high-energy radiation are
called radioactive minerals
• Radioactive minerals possess this property due
to the presence of radioactive elements
• This property depends on the presence of
unstable atoms which are giving off radiation
continuously
• Radioactive minerals are widely used as a source
of energy
• Examples – Uranite and thorite
 Optical Properties
• The important optical property is the refractive
index of minerals
• Optical properties are dependent on the kinds
of arrangements of atoms in the structures of
the minerals
• The optical properties of the minerals can be
determined by special instruments
• These optical properties helps in identification
of different minerals when examined under
microscope