Minerals are called solids found in underground deposits, caves or forming mountains and rocks ; its chemical composition carries inorganic molecules , which contain elements such as metals, non-metals, metalloids, and their respective combinations. The great diversity of minerals develops as a consequence of all the phenomena that occur on the planet, such as rains and soil erosion, and the evaporation of bodies of water.
Most minerals have the appearance of crystals with highly varied and repetitive geometric shapes, which are seen as a constant pattern. The chemical substances that form them as such are salts , which arise from bonds between metals and non-metals. Minerals constitute the “non-living” part of the earth’s crust, and as they are found in the earth, they serve as nutrients for plants that grow in those same places.
Minerals receive innumerable uses in industry, to produce products such as:
- Powdered soaps
- Table salt
- Quick lime and slaked lime
- Bricks and blocks for construction
- Glass and glassware
- Decorative crystals
- Garden soil
- Fertilizers
- Gunpowder
- Food supplements
- Jewelry
10 Examples of Types of Minerals
Minerals are classified according to their chemical composition , which already involves their appearance, their properties and their behavior in the face of physical and chemical phenomena. With that said, their types are explained below:
- Native element minerals
- Halide minerals
- Oxide minerals
- Sulfide minerals
- Sulfate minerals
- Carbonate minerals
- Nitrate minerals
- Borate minerals
- Phosphate minerals
- Silicate minerals
- Radioactive minerals
Types of minerals halides, salt
Native element minerals
Native element minerals are those whose chemical composition has a predominant proportion of an element in its pure state . Generally, this is accompanied by salts thereof or salts of other elements chemically similar to it. The presence of the pure element is mainly due to its reactivity. If the element is not very reactive , it is more likely that it will remain as it is and cover more of the mineral composition. Among them are diamond (carbon), graphite (carbon), orthorhombic sulfur, monoclinic sulfur, white phosphorus, red phosphorus.
Halide minerals
Halide minerals are formed by salts of halogens with metals . Halogens are the elements that comprise group VIIA; they have a high reactivity and it is very easy for them to bind to metals such as alkali metals (sodium, potassium), and alkaline earth metals (magnesium, calcium). Halide minerals include halite (sodium chloride, NaCl) and fluorite (calcium fluoride CaF 2 ).
Oxide minerals
Oxide minerals have one or more oxides as a major component . These compounds are the combination of metals or non-metals with oxygen. Their appearances are very easy to identify by their striking colors and powdery textures. Among them are oligisto or hematite (iron oxide Fe 2 O 3 ), cassiterite (tin oxide SnO 2 ), corundum or alum (aluminum oxide Al 2 O 3 ) and bauxite (aluminum oxide dihydrate Al 2 O 3 * 2H 2 O).
Sulfide minerals
Sulfide minerals are those that have a higher composition of sulfide molecules . Sulfides are the compounds formed by metals and sulfur. These minerals can be heated in a process called roasting , to generate their oxides. From the oxides they are subjected to a leaching process with sulfuric acid and subsequently to electrolysis to obtain the pure metals.
Among them are pyrite (iron sulfide FeS), galena (lead sulfide PbS), cinnabar (mercury sulfide HgS) and blende (zinc sulfide ZnS + manganese and more metals).
Sulfate minerals
Sulfate minerals contain a mixture of two or more sulfate compounds (metal + SO 4 ), the sulfate of one element always predominant. Generally, they are very hygroscopic; that is, they easily incorporate water molecules within their structures. For this reason, the variety of hydrated sulfate minerals is enormous. These types of minerals include: blue vitriol (copper sulfate pentahydrate CuSO 4 * H 2 O), Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate heptahydrate MgSO 4 * 7H 2 O).
Carbonate minerals
Carbonate minerals are those that contain one or more carbonates (metal + CO 3 ) as the predominant species . They have different appearances and many of them come from the combination by contact of the oxides (metal + O) with the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Among them are limestone (calcium carbonate CaCO 3 , which is also marble), trona (sodium carbonate Na 2 CO 3 ), azurite (dibasic copper carbonate Cu 3 (CO 3 ) 2 (OH) 2 ).
Nitrate minerals
Nitrate minerals are those that have nitrate molecules (metal + NO 3 ) in their composition, some of them are formed by the action of nitrifying bacteria found in the soil, and that participate in the nitrogen cycle to promote the nutrition of the plants. Nitrate minerals include nitro (potassium nitrate KNO 3 ), nitratin (sodium nitrate NaNO 3 ).
Borate minerals
Borate minerals are those that contain borate molecules in their structure. Borates are made up of a metal and the radical borate or another combination of boron with oxygen (metal + B n O n ). Among them are ulexite (NaCaB 5 O 9 * 8H 2 O), borax (Na 2 B 4 O 7 * 10H 2 O) and tincalconite (Na 2 B 4 O 7 * 5H 2 O).
Phosphate minerals
Phosphate minerals are made up of salts called phosphates , which are the combination of a metal and the phosphate radical, such as sodium phosphate (Na 3 PO 4 ). They are characterized by being highly toxic to humans. Among them are kleemanite [ZnAl 2 (PO 4 ) 2 (OH) 2 * 3H 2 O], monazite (Ce, La, Nd, Th) (PO 4 ), turquoise CuAl 6 (PO 4 ) 4 ( OH) 8 * 4H 2 O.
Silicate minerals
Silicate minerals are made up of salts called silicates , which are among the most abundant in the earth’s crust. These result from the combination of metals with variants of silicate, which is a radical that has silicon (Si) and oxygen (O). Among them are kaolinite [A the 2 (Si 2 O 5 ) (OH) 4 ], the Esperita [Ca 3 PbZn 4 (SiO 4 ) 4 ], the microcline [K (AlSi 3 O 8 )], the braunita [ Mn +2 Mn 6 +3 O8 (SiO 4 )].
Radioactive minerals
Radioactive minerals are those that contain radioactive elements, such as uranium (U) and thorium (Th) , in the form of oxides, representing more than 0.1% of the mineral’s composition. They are characterized by emitting a certain amount of radiation, which can be measured by means of a Geiger counter. These minerals include carnotite [K 2 (UO 2 ) 2 (VO 4 ) 2 * 3H 2 O], uraninite (UO 2 ), torbernite [Cu (UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 * 8H 2OR].
