MineralIn geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form. The geological definition of mineral normally excludes compounds that occur only in living organisms. However, some minerals are often biogenic (such as calcite) or chemically organic compounds (such as mellite).
Cubic crystal systemIn crystallography, the cubic (or isometric) crystal system is a crystal system where the unit cell is in the shape of a cube. This is one of the most common and simplest shapes found in crystals and minerals.
Tetrahedral molecular geometryIn a tetrahedral molecular geometry, a central atom is located at the center with four substituents that are located at the corners of a tetrahedron. The bond angles are arccos(−1/3) = 109.4712206...° ≈ 109.5° when all four substituents are the same, as in methane (CH4) as well as its heavier analogues. Methane and other perfectly symmetrical tetrahedral molecules belong to point groupTd, but most tetrahedral molecules have lower symmetry.
Octahedral molecular geometryIn chemistry, octahedral molecular geometry, also called square bipyramidal, describes the shape of compounds with six atoms or groups of atoms or ligands symmetrically arranged around a central atom, defining the vertices of an octahedron. The octahedron has eight faces, hence the prefix. The octahedron is one of the Platonic solids, although octahedral molecules typically have an atom in their centre and no bonds between the ligand atoms.
Bravais latticeIn geometry and crystallography, a Bravais lattice, named after Auguste Bravais (1850), is an infinite array of discrete points generated by a set of discrete translation operations, where the lattice is exactly the same from each of the discrete lattice points.
ChalcogenGroup of chemical elementspnictogens ← → halogensThe chalcogens (, ) are the chemical elements in group 16 of the periodic table. This group is also known as the oxygen family. Group 16 consists of the elements oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), and the radioactive elements polonium (Po) and livermorium (Lv).
CrystallizationProcess by which a solid with a highly organized structure forms Crystallization is a process that leads to solids with a uniform pattern of atoms or molecules, i.e. a crystal. The uniform nature of a crystalline solid can be contrasted with amorphous solids in which atoms or molecules lack regular organization. Crystallization can occur by various routes including precipitation from solution, freezing of a liquid, or deposition from a gas.
OxygenChemical element with atomic number 8 (O)–↑O↓Snitrogen ← oxygen → fluorine
SulfurChemical element with atomic number 16 (S)O↑S↓Sephosphorus ← sulfur → chlorine
MagnesiumChemical element with atomic number 12 (Mg)Be↑Mg↓Casodium ← magnesium → aluminium
ZincChemical element with atomic number 30 (Zn)–↑Zn↓Cdcopper ← zinc → gallium
Close-packing of equal spheresIn geometry, close-packing of equal spheres is a dense arrangement of congruent spheres in an infinite, regular arrangement (or lattice). Carl Friedrich Gauss proved that the highest average density – that is, the greatest fraction of space occupied by spheres – that can be achieved by a lattice packing is π 3 2 ≈ 0.74048 {\textstyle {\frac {\pi }{3{\sqrt {2}}}}\approx 0.74048} .
MineralogyMineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, and their utilization.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.