Chapter 03 Vocab

Question 1

Anion

Answer 1

A negatively charged ion.

Question 2

Atom

Answer 2

The smallest piece of an element that has the properties of the element; it consists of a nucleus surrounded by an electron cloud.

Question 3

Atomic Number

Answer 3

The number of protons in the nucleus of a given element.

Question 4

Atomic Weight

Answer 4

The number of protons plus the number of neutrons in the nucleus of a given element. (Also known as atomic mass.)

Question 5

Carbonate

Answer 5

Rocks containing calcite and/or dolomite.

Question 6

Cation

Answer 6

A positively charged ion.

Question 7

Chemical

Answer 7

A material consisting of a distinct element or compound

Question 8

Chemical Bond

Answer 8

The invisible link that holds together atoms in a molecule and/or in a crystal.

Question 9

Chemical Formula

Answer 9

The ‘‘recipe’’ that specifies the elements and their proportions in a compound.

Question 10

Chemical Reaction

Answer 10

Interactions among atoms and/or molecules involving breaking or forming chemical bonds.

Question 11

Cleavage

Answer 11

(1) The tendency of a mineral to break along preferred planes; (2) a type of foliation in low-grade metamorphic rock.

Question 12

Color

Answer 12

The characteristic of a material due to the spectrum of light emitted or reflected by the material, as perceived by eyes or instruments.

Question 13

Compound

Answer 13

A material composed of two or more elements that cannot be separated mechanically; the smallest piece is a molecule.

Question 14

Conchoidal Fracture

Answer 14

Smoothly curving, clamshell-shaped surfaces along which materials with no cleavage planes tend to break.

Question 15

Covalent Bond

Answer 15

The attachment of one atom to another that develops when the atoms share electrons; one type of chemical bond.

Question 16

Crystal

Answer 16

A single, continuous piece of a mineral bounded by flat surfaces that formed naturally as the mineral grew.

Question 17

Crystal Habit

Answer 17

The general shape of a crystal or cluster of crystals that grew unimpeded.

Question 18

Element

Answer 18

A material consisting entirely of one kind of atom; elements cannot be subdivided or changed by chemical reactions.

Question 19

Geode

Answer 19

A cavity in which euhedral crystals precipitate out of water solutions passing through a rock.

Question 20

Glass

Answer 20

A solid in which atoms are not arranged in an orderly pattern.

Question 21

Ion

Answer 21

A version of an atom that has lost or gained electrons, relative to an electrically neutral version, so that it has a net electrical charge.

Question 22

Ionic Bond

Answer 22

The attachment of one atom to another that happens when one atom transfers electrons to another; one type of chemical bond.

Question 23

Luster

Answer 23

The way a mineral surface scatters light.

Question 24

Metallic Bond

Answer 24

A chemical bond in which the outer atoms are attached to each other in such a way that electrons flow easily from atom to atom.

Question 25

Mineral

Answer 25

A homogenous, naturally occurring, solid inorganic substance with a definable chemical composition and an internal structure characterized by an orderly arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a lattice. Most minerals are inorganic.

Question 26

Mineralogy

Answer 26

A science specializing in the study of minerals.

Question 27

Mixture

Answer 27

A material consisting of two or more substances that can be separated mechanically (i.e., without chemical reactions).

Question 28

Mohs Hardness Scale

Answer 28

A list of ten minerals in a sequence of relative hardness, with which other minerals can be compared.

Question 29

Molecule

Answer 29

The smallest piece of a compound that has the properties of the compound; it consists of two or more atoms attached by chemical bonds.

Question 30

Polymorphs

Answer 30

Two minerals that have the same chemical composition but a different crystal lattice structure.

Question 31

Precipitate

Answer 31

(chem, n) A solid substance formed when atoms attach and settle out of a solution, or attach to the walls of the container holding the solution; (chem, v) the action of forming a solid substance from a solution; (meteorology, v) the dropping of snow or rain from the sky.

Question 32

Solution

Answer 32

A material containing dissolved ions.

Question 33

Specific Gravity

Answer 33

A number representing the density of a mineral, as specified by the ratio between the weight of a volume of the mineral and the weight of an equal volume of water.

Question 34

Streak

Answer 34

The color of the powder produced by pulverizing a mineral on an unglazed ceramic plate.