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SCIENCE BLOG

What is the difference between organic matter and inorganic matter ?
 

• Organic matter was associated with living things (biological origin: flora, forna, food, us) and was assumed to possess a vital-force, an indefinable characteristic that separated living organisms and materials derived from living organisms from inanimate inorganic matter:
• Inorganic matter is of geological origin: minerals, rock, sea, air

What is a mineral matter ?
Inorganic materials having a distinct chemical composition, characteristic crystalline structure, colour, and hardness

 How can you identify Minerals ? What are their physical properties ?

Most common minerals can be identified by inspecting or testing their physical properties. These properties are color, streak, transparency, luster,hardness, cleavage, fracture, specific gravity, and crystal form.

 What is the chemical composition of mineral matter ?


Chemical composition and crystal structure determine a mineral's properties, including density, shape, hardness, and color.


 Which characteristic is most important in a crystal structure? 
 

The variety of minerals we see depend on the chemical elements available to form them. In the Earth's crust the most abundant elements are as follows:
O, Oxygen 45.2% by weight  Si, Silicon 27.2%  Al, Aluminum 8.0%  Fe, Iron 5.8%  Ca, Calcium 5.1%   Mg, Magnesium 2.8%   Na, Sodium 2.3%   Ti ,Titanium 0.9% 
 K, Potassium 1.7% 
 H, Hydrogen 0.14%   Mn, Manganese 0.1%   P, Phosphorous 0.1%

 How are minerals classified ?

Anthracite Coal: Organic sedimentary rocks form from the build up and decay of plant and animal material. This usually forms in swamp regions in which there is an abundant supply of growing vegetation and low amounts of oxygen.

Gneiss is a high grade metamorphic rock. This means that gneiss has been subjected to more heat and pressure than schist. 

Marble is metamorphosed limestone or dolomite. Both limestone and dolomite have a large concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). 

Quartzite is composed of sandstone that has been metamorphosed. Quartzite is much harder than the parent rock, sandstone. It forms from sandstone that has come into contact with deeply buried magmas. 

Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock. This means that it has been subjected to more heat and pressure than slate, which is a low grade metamorphic rock. 

Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock with perfect cleavage that allows it to split into thin sheets. Slate usually has a light to dark brown streak. Slate is produced by low grade metamorphism, which is caused by relatively low temperatures and pressures.