Atoms
The central region of an atom
What is the nucleus?
This type of bond occurs between positive and negative ions
What is an ionic bond?
This must be definite in order to be considered a mineral.
What is chemical composition?
Water that contains dissolved substance reacts to form minerals when water evaporates.
What is precipitation?
Color of a mineral in powdered form.
What is a streak?
The three particles that make up an atom.
What are neutrons, protons, and electrons.
In this type of bond, electrons are shared by metallic ions.
What is a metallic bond?
A mineral characteristic that says they cannot be made synthetically.
What is naturally occurring?
Magma cools and elements combine to form minerals
What is crystallization?
The quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral.
What is luster?
The nucleus of an atom contains these two particles.
What are protons and neutrons?
Electrons are shared in this type of bond.
What is a covalent bond?
Not derived from living matter.
What is inorganic?
A very hot mixture of water and dissolved substances that causes chemical reactions with existing minerals to form new minerals.
What is hydrothermal solution?
A measure of the resistance of a mineral to be being scratched.
What is hardness?
Electrons are lost in this type of atom.
What is an ion?
This is formed when two or more elements chemically combine.
What is a compound?
Minerals are normally this within temperature ranges normal to Earth's surface.
What is a solid substance?
An increase in this can cause a mineral to recrystallize while still solid as the atoms are simply rearranged to form more compact minerals.
What is pressure?
The tendency of a mineral to break along flat, even surfaces.
What is cleavage?
An isotope has a different number of these in the nucleus.
What are neutrons?
The smallest particle of a covalent compound that shows the properties of that compound.
What is a molecule?
The atoms of minerals are arranged in an orderly and repetitive manner.
What is crystalline structure?
A change in this can cause some minerals to become unstable so new minerals are formed to become stable.
What is temperature?
The hardest mineral on the Mohs scale.
What is a diamond?