Modes of Occurrence of Elements in Nature, Minerals, Ores

Natural elements are those elements that are freely available in nature and are therefore referred to as such.

• There are 118 elements in the periodic table, and all of the elements (118) do not occur naturally in nature.
• With the exception of Technetium (43) and promethium, the naturally occurring elements are 1-92. (61).

Consequently, the periodic table contains a total of 90 naturally occurring elements.

• Technetium and promethium are elements that have been synthesised from uranium and are therefore referred to as synthetic elements.
• Natural occurring elements include noble gasses, metals, and nonmetals, with some of them being metals and others being nonmetals.

Minerals are divided into three categories: alkali metals, alkali-metal earth metals, and rare earth elements.

• The most expensive metals are gold, silver, and platinum, which are the most valuable.
• As a result, only 90 of the elements in the periodic table occur naturally, and these are referred to as naturally occurring elements in the periodic table.

Occurrence of metals

Metals are abundant in the earth’s crust, which is a major source of supply. In seawater, metal salts such as sodium chloride and magnesium chloride, among others, can be found in concentrated amounts. Metals are not found in their natural state in the environment. A consequence of this is that the vast majority of metals are found in compounds with other elements, which is referred to as the “combined state.” Sulphides, oxides, carbonates, chlorides, and a variety of other metal compounds are found in nature as compounds of these metals. Metals are present in these compounds in the form of positive ions or cations, which indicate that they are metal-containing compounds. Only a few metals, such as copper, silver, gold, and platinum, can be found in their natural state as metals, and these are rare. When a metal is discovered in its “native state,” it is referred to as having been discovered in its “free state.” Copper, silver, gold, and platinum are all elements that can be found in their natural state in nature. Both the free and combined states of copper and silver metals can be found naturally in their elemental forms.

Minerals

The fact that a mineral must be developed through natural processes distinguishes it from synthetic equivalents created in the laboratory. Artificial minerals, such as emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, and other valuable gemstones, are routinely produced in industrial and research facilities, and they are nearly identical to their natural counterparts in appearance and composition. According to the definition of a mineral as a homogeneous solid, a mineral is a single solid substance with a uniform composition that cannot be physically divided into simpler chemical compounds and is therefore insoluble in water.

Minerals have a regular geometric shape and an atomic structure that is highly ordered on the inside. As a result of this characteristic, minerals are classified as crystalline solids. When the right conditions are met, crystalline solids can express their highly structured internal framework through a well-developed external form, known as crystal form or morphology, which is known as crystal form or morphology. Amorphous solids are those that do not have a well-defined internal arrangement and therefore do not exhibit such order. 

In igneous or magmatic rocks, minerals form as a result of the crystallisation of a melt.

Natural mineral formation is caused by sedimentation, a process in which the raw materials are particles of other rocks that have weathered or dissolved. Minerals are formed as a result of this process.

As a result of changes in temperature, pressure, or both, on an existing rock type, metamorphic minerals are formed at the expense of older minerals. Metamorphic minerals are formed at the expense of older minerals.

In a hydrothermal process, minerals are chemically precipitated from hot solutions within the Earth’s crust, resulting in the formation of crystals.

Ores

Ores are minerals that contain metals that can be extracted efficiently and profitably from them. In its previous sense, The term “ore” referred only to metallic mineral deposits, though it has since been expanded to include non-metallic minerals in some instances. Only about 100 of the more than 2,800 mineral species have been identified as ore minerals, a small proportion of the total. Iron is primarily obtained from hematite, magnetite, limonite, and siderite; copper is primarily obtained from chalcopyrite, bornite, and chalcocite; and zinc and lead are primarily obtained from sphalerite and galena, respectively. There is no ore deposit that is composed entirely of a single ore mineral.

It is inevitable that the ore will be mixed with gangue, which is an abbreviation for undesirable or non-valuable rocks and minerals. Mines typically mine ore and gangue together, which means that a mass of ore and gangue is extracted from the host rock by either mechanical or human means, depending on the circumstances of the mines. Mineral processing, also known as ore dressing, is the process of separating the ore from the gangue after it has been extracted from the ground. Extraction of the required metallic element from the ore is accomplished through smelting, roasting, or leaching processes. Because of advancements in hydrometallurgy, some metals, such as copper, uranium, and gold, can now be extracted from host rock without the use of drilling for blasting techniques.

The process may include the use of specific bacteria in certain instances. Metals can be refined or alloyed with other metals after they’ve been recovered, as in a copper refinery or a steel mill, to make them more valuable. Mining, processing, and refining are all steps in the process of extracting metal from an ore deposit, and they all take place simultaneously. In ore, there are no undesirable impurities, and it contains a high concentration of metal by weight. Therefore, all ores are minerals, but not all minerals are ores, and vice versa.

CONCLUSION

Natural elements are those elements that are freely available in nature.Elements are pure substances composed only of atoms with the same number of protons in their nuclei, which are all present in the same proportion. Chemical elements, in contrast to chemical compounds, are incapable of being broken down into simpler substances through any chemical reaction.Metals are abundant in the earth’s crust, which is a major source of supply. In seawater, metal salts such as sodium chloride and magnesium chloride, among others, can be found in concentrated amounts. Ores are minerals that contain metals that can be extracted efficiently and profitably from them. In its previous sense, the term “ore” referred only to metallic mineral deposits, though it has since been expanded to include non-metallic minerals in some instances.