To identify a mineral: SNIFC it out!

To identify a mineral: SNIFC it out!

• Solid– Cannot be a liquid or a gas

• Naturally Occurring– Found in nature, not man-made

• Inorganic– Is not alive and never was, non-living (generally not made from Carbon)

• Fixed composition– Has a chemical formula, most are formed from compounds of two or more

elements, some minerals consist of one element ex. Au

• Crystal Form– A definite structure in which atoms are arranged

Mineral?Wood

Solid

Naturally Occurring

Inorganic

Fixed composition

Crystal Form

Summary

1. How do you tell if something is a mineral?

2. When finished:

Look at textbook p.116 – 122

Fossil

Granite (made of 20% quartz and 80% other minerals)

Quartz (made of silicon and oxygen)

Diamond (made of carbon)

Sugar (made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen)

Table Salt (made of sodium and chlorine)

Glass (made of silica, oxygen, and other elements)

• Mineralsa) Quartz

b) Diamonds

c) Salt

• Non-Mineralsa) Fossils – once living

b) Granite - intrusive igneous rock

c) Sugar – made of carbon from plants

d) Glass – man-made

According to IMA – ice is listed as a mineral

Wood (made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and others)

Gold (Chemical symbol Au)

Topaz (made of aluminum, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine)

Bones

Pearls (made by oysters, made of elements calcium, carbon, and oxygen)

Talc (made of magnesium, silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen)

Iceberg (made of hydrogen and oxygen, formula H2O)

Coal (made of carbon)

Silver

• Mineralsa) Gold

b) Topaz

c) Quartz

d) Talc

e) Iceberg*

f) Diamonds

g) Silver

h) Salt

• Non-Mineralsa) Wood - once living

b) Fossils – once living

c) Bone - living material

d) Granite - intrusive igneous rock

e) Pearls – made by oysters

f) Coal - Sedimentary rock

g) Sugar – made of carbon from plants

h) Glass – man-made

According to IMA – ice is listed as a mineral