A mineraloid is a mineral A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance that is formed through geological processes and that has a characteristic chemical composition, a 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-like substance that does not demonstrate crystallinity Crystallinity refers to the degree of structural order in a solid. In a crystal, the atoms or molecules are arranged in a regular, periodic manner. The degree of crystallinity has a big influence on hardness, density, transparency and diffusion. In a gas, the relative positions of the atoms or molecules are completely random. Amorphous materials,. Mineraloids possess chemical compositions that vary beyond the generally accepted ranges for specific minerals. For example, obsidian Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly without crystal growth. Obsidian is commonly found within the margins of rhyolitic lava flows known as obsidian flows, where the chemical composition induces a high viscosity and polymerization is an amorphous An "amorphous solid" is a solid in which there is no long-range order of the positions of the atoms. . Most classes of solid materials can be found or prepared in an amorphous form. For instance, common window glass is an amorphous solid, many polymers (such as polystyrene) are amorphous, and even junkfoods such as cotton candy are glass Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle, and often optically transparent. Glass is commonly used for windows, bottles, and eyewear; examples of glassy materials include soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovy-glass, and aluminium oxynitride. The term glass developed in the late Roman and not a crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material, whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is crystallography. The process of crystal formation via mechanisms of crystal growth is called. Jet Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure is derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure. Opal OPAL is a 20 megawatt (MW) pool-type nuclear research reactor that was officially opened in April 2007 at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Research Establishment at Lucas Heights, located in South Sydney, Australia is another mineraloid because of its non-crystal nature. Pearls A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur. The finest, considered by some to be a mineral because of the presence of calcium carbonate crystals within their structure, would be better considered a mineraloid because the crystals are bonded by an organic material and there is no definite proportion of the components.
Common mineraloids
- Amber Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times[citation needed]. Good quality amber is used for the manufacture of ornamental objects and jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents, non-crystalline structure
- Jet Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure, non-crystalline nature
- Native mercury Mercury , also quicksilver (/ˈkwɪksɪlvər/) or hydrargyrum (/haɪˈdrɑrdʒɨrəm/ hye-DRAR-ji-rəm), is a chemical element with the symbol Hg (Latinized Greek: hydrargyrum, from "hydr-" meaning watery or runny and "argyros" meaning silver) and atomic number 80. A heavy, silvery d-block metal, mercury is one of six chemical, non-solid
- Obsidian Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly without crystal growth. Obsidian is commonly found within the margins of rhyolitic lava flows known as obsidian flows, where the chemical composition induces a high viscosity and polymerization, volcanic glass - non-crystalline structure
- Opal OPAL is a 20 megawatt (MW) pool-type nuclear research reactor that was officially opened in April 2007 at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Research Establishment at Lucas Heights, located in South Sydney, Australia, non-crystalline silicon dioxide The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica , is an oxide of silicon with a chemical formula of Si
- Petroleum Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, toxic, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, and other organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling. It is refined and separated, most easily by, liquid
- Pyrobitumen, non-homogeneous, non-crystalline structure
- Vulcanite Ebonite is a very hard rubber first obtained by Charles Goodyear by vulcanizing rubber for prolonged periods. It is about 30% to 40% sulfur. Its name comes from its intended use as an artificial substitute for ebony wood. Ebonite is a brand name — it is also known as vulcanite or hard rubber, vulcanized Vulcanization or vulcanisation is a chemical process for converting rubber or related polymers into more durable materials via the addition of sulfur or other equivalent "curatives". These additives modify the polymer by forming crosslinks between individual polymer chains. The vulcanized material is less sticky and has superior natural or synthetic rubber, thus not a mineral due lack of crystalline structure
See also
- List of minerals This is a List of minerals for which there are Wikipedia articles. Mineral variety names and mineraloids are to be listed after the valid minerals for each letter - Mineraloids are listed after minerals in each alphabetically sorted section.
- Nonmineral A nonmineral is a substance found in a natural environment that does not satisfy the definition of a mineral and is not even a mineraloid. Many non-minerals are mined and have industrial or other uses similar to minerals, such as jewelry
| This article about a specific mineral A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance that is formed through geological processes and that has a characteristic chemical composition, a 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 or mineraloid is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Categories: Mineralogy |
Q. I need help NOW!
Asked by babycakes_21_pilots - Thu May 18 20:08:28 2006 - - 1 Answers - 1 Comments
A. A mineraloid is a mineral-like substance that does not demonstrate crystallinity. Mineraloids possess chemical compositions that vary beyond the generally accepted ranges for specific minerals. Some examples of mineraloids are: Obsidian, Opal and Limonite.
Answered by tchem75 - Thu May 18 20:13:54 2006
