Question

1) What three conditions must be present for minerals to form through natural processes?

2) Why are minerals considered inorganic substances?




3) How do oxides differ from other minerals that contain oxygen atoms?




4) How is a sulfide different from a sulfate?



What makes native elements unique?

Answer 1

Answer:1.For minerals to form through natural processes, the correct elements must be present in the right amounts. The physical and chemical conditions, such as temperature, pressure, and pH, must be favorable. In addition, there must be enough time for the atoms to become ordered. Otherwise the mineral grains will remain very small.

2.In most cases, minerals are considered inorganic substances because they’re not derived from or made by living matter, such as plants and animals. There are a few minerals, however, that are produced by living organisms.

3.In oxides, the oxygen atoms bond directly to one or more metals. In other minerals, such as carbonates, sulfates, and silicates, the oxygen atoms are part of molecules in which the oxygen is already bonded to another element, such as carbon, sulfur, or silicon. These molecules then bond to other elements.

4.In sulfides, sulfur atoms bond with one or more metals. In sulfates, the sulfur atoms are part of a molecule that also contains oxygen. The sulfate molecule is what bonds to other elements.

5.Native elements are unique in that they’re composed of atoms of a single element. For example, gold is composed only of gold atoms. Silver is composed only of silver atoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

1- What three conditions must be present for minerals to form through natural processes?

The formation of minerals is not an accidental process that takes place inside the earth but it depends on several physical and chemical conditions to form. One of the most important conditions necessary for the formation of minerals is the presence of right elements in appropriately required amount.

The second will be the chemical and physical condition such as the pH of the soil or environment, temperature and pressure. The third most important condition is the availability of enough time in which the elements can come into an order for the formation of minerals which otherwise can lead the formation of improperly sized sub constituents of minerals.

2) Why are minerals considered inorganic substances?

Generally, we define organic compounds as those containing carbon atoms and mostly derived from living things. If we talk about minerals, they are mostly derived from nonliving things such as earth crust or layers below its surfaces. They are not derived from animals and plants and therefore they are considered to be inorganic substances. However, some minerals can be organic in nature for example Urea derived from Urine when it is present in very arid conditions.

3) How do oxides differ from other minerals that contain oxygen atoms?

There is a very sharp difference between minerals continuing oxides as conjugates and minerals containing oxygen in some other conjugated form. In former ones, the oxygen atom is directly attached with some metal element (can be one or more). While in latter ones, oxygen is just simply bonded to some other element like silicon, sulfur or carbon. This combination of metals are then attached to some other minerals. There are many important metals which are found as oxides in nature.

Moreover, mineral oxides are basic in nature while non oxides are acidic in nature. Similarly, metal oxides are ionic in nature while non oxides have covalent bonding. Metal oxides react with acids and form salts while non oxides react with bases to form salts.

4) How is a sulfide different from a sulfate?

There is a sharp difference between a sulfide and sulfate, because in sulfide, sulfur atom accepts two electrons from a reducing agent like some metal. It is strongly basic in nature and the sulfide ion exists in S2- form. When gets in contact with water it gets easily protonated to form HS- or Hydrogen sulfide.

On the other hand, sulfate is a state of sulfur where it is bonded with four oxygen atoms with formula as SO42- . It forms salts with metallic elements like Calcium sulphate (CaSO4) and Sodium sulphate (Na2SO4 ).

5- What makes native elements unique?

Native elements are the minerals which are found in an uncombined form in nature. It means that they are made up of only single kind of element and the same is the thing which makes them unique because other minerals are mostly an amalgam of several kinds of metals or elements. Some examples of native elements include, gold and silver which are composed of single elements respectively.