1. Mineralogy
Science of minerals
Definition of a mineral:
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid
with a highly ordered atomic arrangement
and a definite (but not fixed) chemical
composition. It is usually formed by
inorganic processes.

2. A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered
atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical
composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes.
Formed in Nature and not in industrial processes
Formed in Nature without any influence of humans
Example:
Archeological material: slag or metal weathered by Nature
over thousands of years = formation of new type of solids
New Mineral ?????
(apparently yes; e.g. smythite)

3. A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered
atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical
composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes.
naturally occurring liquids,
H2O in water
Acid mine drainage: FeSO4 · nH2SO4
Liquid mercury
Corresponding Minerals:
H2O in Ice
FeSO4 · n(H2O) (n= 0, 2, 4, 6)
Hg in alloys with other metals; e.g. Au

4. A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered
atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical
composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes.
A highly ordered atomic arrangement means a long-range,
three dimensional internal order of atoms.
A highly ordered atomic arrangement is a criterion of a
crystalline solid.
Minerals = crystalline solids
Amorphous solids, liquids and melts contain groups
of atoms with an ordered arrangement.
Amorphous solids, liquids and melts =
lack of any ordered arrangement over a larger range!!!
e.g. volcanic glass, limonite, opal, metamict compounds
are Mineraloids

5. A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered
atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical
composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes.
Chemical composition of a mineral can be expressed by a chemical formulae e.g. ZnS
A number of minor chemical elements can vary in formulae,
but so long as the structure is unchanged, the mineral retains
its identity.
For example, Fe and Mn can enter the structure of sphalerite in place of Zn. Thus, the formula can be written as (Zn, Fe, Mn)S, but the mineral is still sphalerite. The Fe and Mn are in solid solution in sphalerite.

6. A mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a highly ordered
atomic arrangement and a definite (but not fixed) chemical
composition. It is usually formed by inorganic processes.
Exceptions are biogenic minerals formed by organic material; e.g.
Bacteria
Mollusk
Human body
Biogenic minerals are for example:
Carbonate, silicate, sulfate, phosphate and sulfide minerals
and elementary sulfur
Because they are formed in natural processes,
biogenic minerals are minerals

7. How Minerals are Named
Minerals are supposed to be named based on root name + the ending –ite. Sometimes, for reasons of the sound of the name, the ending –lite is used, as in datolite. However, “grandfather” considerations sometimes have allowed the ending –ine or –ene, as in nickeline or spodumene.
Root names are derived from seven different sources:
The name may come from antiquity, e.g.
galena – from the Latin for lead ore
orpiment – corruption of the Latin auripigment meaning gold coloured
realgar – corruption of the Arabic rahj al gahr meaning
powder of the mine

8. The name may reflect a physical properties, e.g.
pyrrho – from the Greek pyrrhos for fire as in
pyrrhotite, from flame-like reflections from its surface.
The name may reflect the mineral’s composition, e.g.
cobaltite – cobalt sulfarsenide CoAsS
arsenopyrite – arsenic + pyrite FeAsS
The name may honour a person (usually connected with geology or science at least e.g.
linnaeite – after Carl von Linné, originator of the system of biological naming
But some names such as Smith and Thompson are common, so people wanting to honor J.V. Smith and J.B. Thompson, finding that the names were already taken produced joesmithite and jimthompsonite.

9. The locality where the mineral was discovered, e.g.
muscovite – from Muscovy, a former kingdom in present Russia
ilmenite – from Ilmen, a city in Russia
There are many Ontario localities:
madocite – Madoc
temagamite – Temagami
sudburyite – Sudbury
perthite – Perth, Ontario (an intergrowth of two kinds of feldspar)
Named after an institution, e.g.
nimite – after National Institute of Metallurgy, South Africa
Named in honour of an event, e.g.
uraninite – after the discovery of the planet Uranus