What determines the physical and chemical properties of a mineral?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking about the factors that influence both the physical and chemical properties of a mineral, which may involve aspects like its composition, structure, and formation processes.
Answer
Chemical formula and crystal lattice.
The final answer is the chemical formula and the crystal lattice.
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is the chemical formula and the crystal lattice.
More Information
Minerals' properties are influenced by both the type and arrangement of their constituent atoms. The crystal lattice and chemical formula together impact properties such as hardness, color, and cleavage.
Tips
A common mistake is to consider only the chemical composition without acknowledging the importance of atomic arrangement (crystal structure) in determining properties.
Sources
- What determines the physical and chemical properties of a mineral? - courses.lumenlearning.com
- Identifying Minerals | Earth Science - Visionlearning - visionlearning.com
- What does the internal atomic structure of a mineral most likely determine - answers.com
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