3: matter and minerals Flashcards
naturally occurring masses of minerals or mineral like matter
rocks
the building blocks of rocks
minerals
the formal study of minerals
minerology
minerals are composed of atoms of what?
atoms of one or two elements
three basic components of atoms
neutron, electron, proton
what doe the atomic number represent?
the number or protons in the nucleus
how are protons and neutrons the same?
they have the same size and mass
when do chemical bonds occur?
when atoms are attracted to other atoms
what does the attraction of two atoms lead to?
the transfer or sharing of valence electrons
the octet rule states the most stable arrangement of electrons for an atom
is to have eight electrons in the outermost principal shell
covalent bonds form when
adjacent atoms share valence electrons
to form an ionic bond, atoms of the same element give up
one or more valence electrons
metallic bonds involve extensive sharing of ______ so much so they move freely through the substance
valence electrons
luster is a minerals ability to
reflect light
translucent, opaque, and transparent describe the degree to which a mineral can
transmit light
what factor is unreliable for mineral identification?
color
crystal shape/habit and streak color are useful for
mineral identification
what gives a mineral its hardness?
strength of chemical bonds
what scale is mineral hardness measure on?
the Mohs scale
what is a mineral’s ability to resist deforming stresses such as breakage and bending called?
tenacity
the preferential breakage of a mineral along planes of weakly bonded atoms
cleavage
what is the name of the ration between a mineral’s density and the density of water?
specific gravity
diagnostic properties such as magnetism, reaction to acid, and feel are used for
identifying minerals
the law that states no matter how big a crystal of a mineral is, the angle between the faces will always be the same
steno’s law
