Minerals

What is mineral?

The word mineral is very closely related to another word - ‘mine’. But it is not true that minerals are found only in mines. Practically minerals are present in all forms of rocks, soil particles and even in water.

On the Earth, minerals are present as chemical compounds. Each of such compounds consists of a metal and a non-metal component. Iron, Copper, Zinc, Silver, Gold, etc., are metals and Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon, Sulphur, Phosphorus, etc., are non-metals.

Now we will discuss about the differences between a metal and a non-metal. Metal is an element having shiny look with metallic lusture. Metal can be hammered out into thin sheets and has a property of being drawn out into wire. It develops metallic sound when it is hit by any rigid body since all metals are solid except mercury. Non-metals are also elements but do not possess such properties.

Certain rocks are rich in metallic elements and they are known as ores. Generally ores are present deep under the Earth’s crust and to avail it we have to dig it out. The deep pits, from which we collect the ores, are called mines. When we process a specific ore, we can obtain a metal from it and we get iron, aluminium, copper, gold, etc., from their specific ores.

Besides the metallic ores two other very important materials are obtained from underground, which are the fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. These are not obtained from ores but we can treat these as minerals because these are collected by digging.














Fifth Grade

From Minerals to HOME PAGE

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.


Recent Articles

  1. Amphibolic Pathway | Definition | Examples | Pentose Phosphate Pathway

    Jun 06, 24 10:40 AM

    Amphibolic Pathway
    Definition of amphibolic pathway- Amphibolic pathway is a biochemical pathway where anabolism and catabolism are both combined together. Examples of amphibolic pathway- there are different biochemical…

    Read More

  2. Respiratory Balance Sheet | TCA Cycle | ATP Consumption Process

    Feb 18, 24 01:56 PM

    ATP Synthase in Mitochondria
    The major component that produced during the photosynthesis is Glucose which is further metabolised by the different metabolic pathways like glycolysis, Krebs cycle, TCA cycle and produces energy whic…

    Read More

  3. Electron Transport System and Oxidative Phosphorylation | ETC |Diagram

    Feb 04, 24 01:57 PM

    Electron Transport Chains
    It is also called ETC. Electron transfer means the process where one electron relocates from one atom to the other atom. Definition of electron transport chain - The biological process where a chains…

    Read More

  4. Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle | Krebs Cycle | Steps | End Products |Diagram

    Jan 28, 24 12:39 PM

    Aerobic Respiration
    This is a type of process which execute in a cyclical form and final common pathway for oxidation of Carbohydrates fat protein through which acetyl coenzyme a or acetyl CoA is completely oxidised to c…

    Read More

  5. Aerobic Respiration | Definition of Aerobic Respiration | Glycolysis

    Dec 15, 23 08:42 AM

    Aerobic Respiration
    This is a type of respiration where molecular free oxygen is used as the final acceptor and it is observed in cell. Site of Aerobic Respiration - Aerobic respiration is observed in most of the eukaryo…

    Read More