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In mineralogy, definite chemical composition refers to a characteristic that a substance must possess to meet the definition of a mineral. It is the narrow parameter of chemical compositions that a substance must have to be described as a particular mineral separate from other minerals.

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14y ago
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14y ago

Chemical composition refers to the elements and their proportions in that mineral. For instance, table salt has equal parts sodium and chlorine. Its chemical composition is NaCl. Or, quartz is one part silicon and two parts oxygen. Its chemical composition is SiO2.

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13y ago

it means that the chemical build up of the mineral never changes

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Q: What does it mean to say that a mineral has a definite chemical composition?
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Why are sugar crystal not mineral?

AnswerBy definition from "The Manual of Mineral Science 23rd Edition" by Klein and Dutrow,"A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not necessarily fixed), homogeneous chemical composition. Minerals are "usually" formed by inorganic processes"I believe through this definition, Sugar could be considered a mineral.-Naturally occurring: Derived from plants and animals, natural pure state at STP is crystalline.-Highly ordered atomic arrangement: occurs in definite molecular arrangements-Definite (not fixed) chemical composition: basic carbohydrate structures with variations; sucrose, fructose, glucose, etc.-"Usually" formed by inorganic processes: Similar to Calcite from mollusk and coral and Aragonite from human teeth. all of which are considered minerals of organic origin.However this is still a gray area since this it seems has not been heavily debated. The only difference I can see is that all of the "organic" minerals are of animal origin whereas as sugar is mostly plant based.


What is the chemical composition of rye?

Well... It's a plant. I mean, you can break that down and figure out exactly what that is, but it's a living thing, not a chemical compound.


How can two rocks made by the same process be so different in color?

We don't know exactly what you mean by "by the same process", but the color of minerals in general is highly sensitive to their exact chemical composition. Rubies and sapphires are the same mineral with slightly different trace elements. Transition metal ions in particular tend to be highly colored.


What does mechanical weathering of rock mean?

any of the various weathering processes that cause physical disintegration of exposed rock without any change in the chemical composition of the rock


What does it mean when a mineral can scratch another mineral?

It means the mineral that scratches the other mineral is harder on the Mohs scale

Related questions

When geologist say that a mineral always contains certain elements in the definite proportions they mean that the mineral has a definite?

A chemical formula.


What you mean by nonstoichiometry?

The chemical composition of nonstoichiometric compounds do not respect the law of definite proportions.


When geologists say that a mineral always contains certain elements in definite proportions they mean that the mineral always has what?

A chemical formula.


What does the term composition mean as it applies to igneous rock?

it can mean two things, (1)mineralogical composition or (2)Chemical composition


What information in a chemical formula mean?

The chemical formula is representative for the chemical composition of a chemical compound.


Is sodium chloride a substance or a mixture?

Sodium chloride, NaCl, is a compound, which is a pure substance. It is a compound because sodium ions and chloride ions chemically bond to each other to form the ionic compound NaCl.


What is the composition of a breccia rock?

chemical composition mean it is made of body fluid.


Why are sugar crystal not mineral?

AnswerBy definition from "The Manual of Mineral Science 23rd Edition" by Klein and Dutrow,"A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered atomic arrangement and a definite (but not necessarily fixed), homogeneous chemical composition. Minerals are "usually" formed by inorganic processes"I believe through this definition, Sugar could be considered a mineral.-Naturally occurring: Derived from plants and animals, natural pure state at STP is crystalline.-Highly ordered atomic arrangement: occurs in definite molecular arrangements-Definite (not fixed) chemical composition: basic carbohydrate structures with variations; sucrose, fructose, glucose, etc.-"Usually" formed by inorganic processes: Similar to Calcite from mollusk and coral and Aragonite from human teeth. all of which are considered minerals of organic origin.However this is still a gray area since this it seems has not been heavily debated. The only difference I can see is that all of the "organic" minerals are of animal origin whereas as sugar is mostly plant based.


What is the chemical composition for astm a216wcb?

ASTM mean Absolute System Temperatuer Monitoring


Is ground floor a chemical change?

If you mean ground flour, then no. Grinding flour is a physical change because there is no change in chemical composition.


Is carbon dioxide raw material?

No, it is a pure substance. A "pure substance" does not mean an element. Rather, it means that the given substance has definite physical and chemical properties. "Pure substances" can be either "Elements" or "Compounds" because all substances belonging to these categories have definite physical and chemical properties.A mixture does not have definite physical and chemical properties, and combine in varying proportions.


What ingridients does rice have?

I dont understand what you mean by "ingredients" but I presume that you want to know the chemical composition of rice?