Minerals
Remember that a mineral is- “a naturally occurring, homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure, color, and hardness”. Whereas a rock is an aggregate of minerals. For example, basalt and granite are rocks, not minerals, because the composition can vary, and they are made up of many different crystals of several minerals.
In addition, don’t confuse elements with minerals. An element is a single type of atom, as in hydrogen (H), sodium (Na), iron (Fe) and so on. Elements are shown on the Periodic Table used in chemistry. Minerals on the other hand, are combinations of atoms (elements), as in calcite, quartz, halite, etc. Although there are a few exceptions, such as copper, gold, silver, etc. that occur as “native minerals”, meaning that the mineral is composed of only 1 element. Review the definition of elements, rocks, and minerals in your text.
choose one that you use in your everyday life, describe how your chosen mineral is used, and also conduct research to determine the geologic conditions in which it is formed, where it is found, how it is mined, its other uses, etc. Homework help – Write a short essay about your findings.
Minerals
Minerals are vital in our everyday life where industries provide various types of minerals to make life meaningful. Some of the minerals are used in the health industry and in making infrastructures. Silver is one of the minerals I use mostly in my everyday life (Panáček,et,al.,2018). During the current national pandemic, surgical masks have been part of my daily life, where the makes are fitted with a silver ion to prevent and eliminate odors and bacteria (Panáček,et,al.,2018). Also, canned juices and sodas are made with a colloidal silver made by Gold sol, a biotechnology company.
The silver-coated particles in the cans cannot dissolve in juice because they contain a proprietor element making them stable. Most of the items I use or touch daily are fitted with silver door handles and speaker wires. The door handles are coated with silver because silver is resistant to corrosion and oxidation. The type of silver used is the Agion silver that releases ions to kill bacteria present in hands (Panáček,et,al.,2018). According to doctors, silver-coated items reduce the spread of diseases, such as pneumonia. Speaker wires and radio frequency connectors are fitted with silver to allow music production because silver is a good conductor. Also, to prevent bacteria from spreading, the skin of the computer keyboard is fitted with silver.
Silver is metallic, silver-white in color, also known as streaky shiny color. Silver is an igneous, metamorphic rock found in pure, trace metals, alloy, and mineral form. Silver is mined as an ore of lead-zinc or copper-nickel (Arribas,et,al.,2020). Silver is mined through the electrolytic refinement method, which produces silver as a compound. The extraction of silver from other metals is done through a liquid-to-liquid extraction procedure (Arribas,et,al.,2020). Silver is also used in coating mirrors, make pieces of jewelry, and make dental and other
References
Arribas, A., Mathur, R., Megaw, P., & Arribas, I. (2020). The Isotopic Composition of Silver in Ore Minerals. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 21(8), e2020GC009097.
Panáček, A., Kvítek, L., Smékalová, M., Večeřová, R., Kolář, M., Röderová, M., … & Zbořil, R. (2018). Bacterial resistance to silver nanoparticles and how to overcome it. Nature Nanotechnology, 13(1), 65-71.
