Inorganic minerals, nonmetalli

Inorganic chemistry In general, matter that does not contain carbon Minerals, metals and nonmetals, semiconductors... 

The solid crust and the upper mantle make up the region called the lithosphere. Oxygen is the most abundant element in the lithosphere. Unlike the hydrosphere and the atmosphere, the lithosphere contains a large variety of other elements, including deposits of alkali, alkahne earth, and transition metal elements. Table 26-3 lists the most abundant elements in the continental crust portion of the hthosphere. With the exception of gold, platinum, and a few other rare metals that are found free in nature, most metallic elements occur as compounds in minerals. A mineral is a solid, inorganic compound found in nature. Minerals have distinct crystalhne structures and chemical compositions. Most are combinations of metals and nonmetals. 

This chapter begins with a survey of the naturally occurring inorganic, nonmetal-lic minerals that are the starting materials for synthesis and processing of inorganic materials. 

The word mineral is generally used to describe inorganic substances, often as if they were in the elemental form. Thus, we might hear that a food is a good source of phosphorus, when in fact the food does not contain elemental phosphorus, a caustic nonmetal, but probably contains phosphate ions such as HP04 and H2PO4 or, more likely, organic substances that contain phosphorus, such as nucleic acids and phosphoUpids. 

---