A naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition is called a what?

A naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition is called a what?

• A. Mineral
• B. Crystal
• C. Element
• D. Alloy

Answer: (A)

Think in terms of what a mineral is: a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a definite chemical composition and a crystal lattice. That exact combination—formed by natural geological processes, not by life, with a fixed formula and a regular, repeating arrangement of atoms—defines a mineral. A crystal is about the orderly arrangement of atoms, but crystals can be synthetic or organic; not every crystal is a mineral. An element is a pure substance made of one kind of atom, which minerals usually are not because minerals are typically compounds with specific ratios of different elements. An alloy is a metallic mixture with its own composition, often produced by humans, and it doesn’t meet the mineral criteria of natural occurrence plus a definite chemical formula and crystal structure.

Think in terms of what a mineral is: a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a definite chemical composition and a crystal lattice. That exact combination—formed by natural geological processes, not by life, with a fixed formula and a regular, repeating arrangement of atoms—defines a mineral. A crystal is about the orderly arrangement of atoms, but crystals can be synthetic or organic; not every crystal is a mineral. An element is a pure substance made of one kind of atom, which minerals usually are not because minerals are typically compounds with specific ratios of different elements. An alloy is a metallic mixture with its own composition, often produced by humans, and it doesn’t meet the mineral criteria of natural occurrence plus a definite chemical formula and crystal structure.