Week 2

It's an Earth's wonder

It is our second week studying Earth Science. Today, i'm going to share you some information i learned in class.


MINERALS


      A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not have a specific chemical composition. 


ATOMS

Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter that make up everyday objects. A desk, the air, even you are made up of atoms! There are 90 naturally occurring kinds of atoms. Scientists in labs have been able to make about 25 more.

ATOMS ARE MADE UP OF THREE BASIC PARTICLES:

Protons- carries a positive charge

Neutrons-carries no charge

Electrons- carries a negative charge and circle the nucleus

WHY ATOMS BOND


Atoms bond because they have an inherent need to have their outermost level of electrons be "full".

Some lose their electrons to eliminate a level of energy, at which point the new outer most level (the one underneath the one that removed) electrons do not occupy a level until the levels closes to the nucleus is are full. 
At This point they are ionic. The other bonding element gains the losing atoms electrons. 
This results in one atom being positively charged and the other negatively charged resulting in attraction between the two. 

This is a model of an atom

TYPES OF CHEMICAL BOND

-Ionic Bond  is formed when one atom accepts or donates one or more of its valence electrons to another atom.

-Covalent Bond  is formed when atoms share valence electrons. The atoms do not always share the electrons equally, so a polar covalent bond may be the result.

-When electrons are shared by two metallic atoms a metallic bond may be formed. In a covalent bond, electrons are shared between two atoms. The electrons that participate in metallic bonds may be shared between any of the metal atoms in the region.

DEFINITION OF MINERALS

1.)Naturally occuring

2.)Solid substance

3.)Orderly crystalline structure

4.)Definite Chemical Composition

5.)Generally Considered Inorganic

HOW MINERALS ARE FORMED

1.)Crystallization from magma

2.)Precipitation

3.)Pressure and Temperature

4.)Hydrothermal Solutions

MINERAL GROUPS

1.) Silicates-make up the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals, constituting approximately 90 percent of the crust of the Earth. They are classified based on the structure of their silicate group. Silicate minerals all contain silicon and oxygen.

2.) Carbonates-metals bonded to (CO₃)^‑2 group to form minerals like calcite (CaCO₃; used for lime, cement) and dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂)

3.) Oxides- a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. Metal oxides typically contain an anion of oxygen in the oxidation state of −2. Most of the Earth's crust consists of solid oxides, the result of elements being oxidized by the oxygen in air or in water.

4.) Sulfates and Sulfides- Sulfates are an important mineral class and include some very interesting and attractive specimens. Although many minerals belong to this class, only barite,gypsum, and anhydrite can be considered common.The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S²⁻) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. 

5.) Halides- or organohalogens, are the group of compounds that contain a halogen atom (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine) bonded to a carbon atom. All halogen atoms are more electronegative than carbon, so the halides contain polar bonds. The slightly positive charge that exists on the carbon atom in carbon-halogen bonds is the source of the reactivity exhibited by halides. Although organic halides are not common in nature, they are widely used by chemists for transforming and synthesizing organic molecules.

6.) Native Elements- are those which occur in nature in their pure form (not as compounds). Examples include gold and silver as well as carbon (in the form of graphite or diamond). 

PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

-Color

-Luster

-Crystal Form

-Hardness

-Cleavage

-Fracture

-Density

ROCKS

Types

1.) Igneous Rocks- formed by crystallization from a melt (magma)

1. Extrusive (volcanic) - produced when magma flows on the earth's surface
   
2. Intrusive (plutonic) - produced when magma solidifies at depth beneath the earth.

2.) Sedimentary Rocks- are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles (detritus) to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution. Particles that form a sedimentary rock by accumulating are called sediment.

3.) Metamorphic Rocks- are rocks that have "morphed" into another kind of rock. These rocks were once igneous or sedimentary rocks. How do sedimentary and igneous rocks change? The rocks are under tons and tons of pressure, which fosters heat build up, and this causes them to change. If you exam metamorphic rock samples closely, you'll discover how flattened some of the grains in the rock are.

TRIVIA ABOUT MINERALS:

· More than 30 minerals are needed to make a computer · Zinc makes the average automobile last longer - 17 pounds of zinc protect it from rust. Another 20 pounds are used to make zinc die cast parts like door handles and locks, and each tire contains ½ pound of zinc, which is needed to cure rubber. · In one day, to maintain our standard of living, 18 million tons of raw material must be mined, cut or harvested to meet the demands of US citizens for "things and stuff", about 150 pounds for every man, woman and child. · In one day, 23 million photographs are snapped, more than 29 acres of wallet-size photos. · Zinc is found in hundreds of products, including vitamins, cereals, cosmetics, pet food, paints, fertilizers, tires, batteries, ointments, shampoos, soaps and pharmaceuticals. · Copper is essential in the human diet. It helps iron-rich foods make red hemoglobin in the blood. In fact, it is essential for the normal healthy growth and reproduction of all higher plants and animals. · Internet usage eats up about 70 million tons of coal each year in the form of coal-fired electricity. Even huge turbines used to generate wind power couldn't be made without mined minerals such as zinc and copper

And that's what I learned on our second week studying Earth Science. I enjoy this lesson because for one reason, I love minerals. I think it's a beauty that minerals are formed. Stay updated for more information I can give every week.

Christine

Checked by, Mr. Crisencio Paner