elements make up more than 98 percent of the earth’s crust.
These elements Four types of chemical bonds are found in minerals:
are; Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and
Sodium.
STRUCTURE OF AN ATOM
❖ An atom is the basic unit of an element.
❖ An atom is tiny; the diameter of the average atom is about 10ˉ10 meters.
❖ An atom consists of a small, dense, positively charged center called a
Nucleus.
❖ The Nucleus contains dense particles with positive electric charge known
as Protons.
❖ and equally dense particles with neutral electric charges know as
Neutrons.
❖ The nucleus is surrounded by negatively charged Electrons.
❖ An electron is a fundamental particle; it is not made up of smaller
components. An electron orbits the nucleus, but not in a clearly.
❖ Atomic weight/mass of an atom is equal to the total number of Neutrons
+ Protons.
❖ Atomic Number of an atom is equal to its number of Proton or Electron.
❖ A charged atom is called an Ion.
The forces that hold atoms and ions together to form compounds are called
CHEMICAL BONDS.
CHEMICAL BONDS
1. Ionic - Cations and anions are attracted by their opposite electronic charges
and thus bond together. This union is called an ionic bond.
2. Covalent - when two or more atoms share their electrons to produce the
effect of filled outer electron shells.
3. Metallic - collective sharing of a sea of valence electrons between several
positively charged metal ions
4. Van der Waals forces - Weak electrical forces
MATTER AND MINERALS
- Most minerals are compounds. Minerals are always electrically
neutral
CRYSTALS - any substance whose atoms are arranged in a regular, periodically
repeated pattern.
UNIT CELL - small group of atoms, like a single brick in a wall, repeats itself
over and over.
CRYSTAL FACE - is a planar surface that develops if a crystal grows freely in
an uncrowded environment.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
1. CRYSTAL HABIT - is the characteristic shape of a mineral and the
manner in which aggregates of crystals grow.
2. CLEAVAGE - is the tendency of some minerals to break along flat
surfaces.
3. FRACTURE - is the pattern in which a mineral breaks other than along
planes of cleavage.
4. HARDNESS - is the resistance of a mineral to scratching.
5. SPECIFIC GRAVITY - is the weight of a substance in air divided by the
weight of an equal volume of water.
6. COLOR - is the most obvious property of a mineral, but it is commonly
unreliable for identification.
7. STREAK - is the color of a fine powder of a mineral.
8. LUSTER - is the manner in which a mineral reflects light