1. Minerals Write down what you know about minerals.
What things in this room are made of minerals?

2. The building blocks of rocks
Minerals
The building blocks of rocks

3. Some Chemistry Review
Atom – basic unit of matter; smallest part of an element that keeps the element’s properties
Element – substance that can’t be broken into simpler substances by ordinary chemical means
(What do these two terms mean in your own words?)

4. Compound – a substance that contains atoms of two or more elements that are chemically combined
Ex. Water (H20) – Two hydrogen atoms combined with one oxygen atom
This combination occurs when atoms bond in one of many ways, all involving the electrons

5. Electron arrangement 2 electrons in the first ring
8 electrons in the second ring
8 electrons in the third ring
(It gets more complicated….)
Remember: an atom wants the number of negative electrons that surround its nucleus to match its number of positive protons.
Number of protons is the same as atomic number

6. Practice drawing electron configuration:
Carbon
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Silicon

7. Elements that make up most of the Earth’s Crust
#1: Oxygen (O) 47%
#2: Silicon (Si) 28%
also Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium

8. What is a mineral? Naturally occurring (not man-made)
Inorganic (not alive or made from living things)
Solid (not liquid or gas)
Definite chemical structure (each mineral always has the same atoms bonded together)
Crystal structure (orderly arrangement of atoms)
(A substance has to meet all five
of these characteristics to be a mineral!)

9. Crystal Structure
Crystal – regular geometric solid with smooth surfaces called crystal faces

10. In minerals, the shape of the crystal depends mainly on the atoms of the mineral and the way they arrange themselves
Despite thousands of minerals, there are only six basic crystal shapes

11. Mineral Formation and Composition
1. Come from Magma (molten rock beneath Earth’s surface)
When cooled, mineral crystals are formed

12. How and where magma cools determines size of mineral crystal
2 most common elements found in magma are oxygen and silicon

13. 2. Compounds are dissolved in a liquid, which evaporate leaving minerals as crystals

14. Questions to Discuss:
What are the two most common elements in the earth’s crust? In magma? Does this make sense?
What is the difference between an atom, an element, and a compound?
What are some ways to help you remember the five characteristics of a mineral?
Can elements be minerals? Are all elements minerals?

15. Which of these are minerals? Why or why not?
Salt?
Water?
Ice?
Aluminum?
Synthetic (man-made) diamond?
Sugar? (Think where it comes from)
Diamond?
Coal? (Think where it comes from)
Quartz?

16. Silicate Minerals
Minerals that contain silicon and oxygen (and usually other elements, too)
96% of the minerals formed in the Earth’s crust are silicates
Examples are:
feldspar
quartz (shown)
mica

17. Silicates may form tetrahedrons

18. Silica is the most abundant mineral on Earth
Silica’s chemical composition is SiO2
Quartz is a common name for silica
Sketch out the covalent bonding scheme for SiO2:

19. Carbonates
Carbonate minerals are made of one or more metallic elements combined with CO3 (a carbonate compound)
Examples are:
limestone (CaCO3)
dolomite (pictured)
calcite

20. The dolomite mountains in Italy

21. Oxides Compounds of Oxygen + a metal Examples are: magnetite (Fe3O4)
hematite (Fe2O3)

22. Native Elements
Made of only one element like Au, Cu, Ag

23. Sulfides and Sulfates
Sulfides are made of sulfur and one or more elements
Sulfates are made of sulfate compound (SO4) and one or more elements
Ex of a sulfide = pyrite (FeS2)

24. Halides
Cl or F along with Ca, Na, or K
For example?