Author Question: The majority of elements in the Periodic Table are metallic. Does this mean that most minerals are ... (Read 58 times)

daltonest1984 · **on:** Jul 29, 2018

The majority of elements in the Periodic Table are metallic. Does this mean that most minerals are metallic?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What is the difference between a mineral and an element?

What will be an ideal response?

Joc · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 29, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: Although the different metallic elements combine and give us minerals, not all minerals made up of these metallic elements make metallic minerals. Properties of the single elements are very different from the properties of the compounds of elements. For example, the elements Na and Cl combine to form the compound NaCl. Whereas elemental sodium is a soft silvery metal, and elemental chlorine is a toxic yellow-green gas, when the two elements are combined they form common table salt, NaCl (the mineral halite). Although composed of metallic elements, halite is not considered to be a metallic mineral.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: An element is a material consisting of only one type of atom. There are a few minerals composed of a single element, but the majority are composed of a combination of elements. As such, they are composed of more than one type of atom.