Final answer:
Calcite is the correct mineral that fizzes and produces gas bubbles when hydrochloric acid is applied because it is composed of calcium carbonate, which releases carbon dioxide gas upon reacting with the acid.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct mineral that fizzes and produces gas bubbles when hydrochloric acid is applied is calcite. The presence of gas bubbles suggests a chemical reaction that releases a gas, which in the case of calcite is carbon dioxide (CO2). This reaction is typical of carbonates, and the mineral calcite, composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), reacts with hydrochloric acid according to the following equation:
CaCO3(s) + 2HCl(aq) → CaCl2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l)
Quartz, halite, and fluorite do not react with hydrochloric acid in the same manner. For example, quartz, made of silicon dioxide (SiO2), does not effervesce with acids under normal conditions. Halite, which is sodium chloride (NaCl), also does not react to produce a gas when in contact with hydrochloric acid. Fluorite (calcium fluoride, CaF2), while it can be affected by hydrofluoric acid, does not react with hydrochloric acid to produce gas bubbles.