76 



CHEMICAL PBOPEBTTES OF MINEBALS. 



3. CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF 



MINERALS. 



The chemical properties of minerals are of two kinds. (1) 

 Those of the chemical composition of minerals, (2) those de- 

 pending on their chemical reactions, with or without fluxes, in- 

 cluding results obtained by means of the blowpipe. 



1. Chemical Composition. 



All the elements made known by chemistry are found in 

 minerals, for the mineral kingdom is the source of whatever 

 living beings — plants and animals — contain or use. A list of 

 these elements, as at present made out, is contained in the fol- 

 lowing table, together with the symbol for each used in stating 

 the composition of substances. These symbols are abbreviations 

 of the Latin names for the elements. A few of these Latin 

 names differ much from the English, as follows : 



Stibium Sb = Antimony 



Cuprum Cu = Copper 



Fe r rum Fe = Iron 



Plumbum Pb = Lead 

 Hydrargyrum Hg = Mercury 



Kalium 



Argentum 



Natrium 



Stannum 



Wolframium 



K = Potassium 



Ag = Silver 



Na = Sodium 



Sn = Tin 



W = Tungsten 



Table op the Elements. 



Aluminum 



Al 



27 4 



Columbmm (Niobium) Cb (Nb) 94 



Antimony 



Sb 



120 



Copper 



Cu 



63-4 



Arsenic 



As 



75 



Didymium 



D 



1448 



Barium 



Ba 



137 



Erbium 



E 



168-9 



Bismuth 



Bi 



210 



Fluorine 



F 



19 



Boron 



B 



11 



Gallium 



Ga 



68? 



Bromine 



Br 



80 



G-lucinum (Beryllium) 



G (B<) 94 



Cadmium 



Cd 



112 



Gold 



Au 



197 



Caesium 



Cs 



133 



Hydrogen 



H 



1 



Calcium 



Ca 



40 



Indium 



In 



113 4 



Carbon 



C 



12 



Iodine 



I 



127 



Cerium 



Ce 



138 



Iridium 



It 



198 



Chlorine 



CI 



35 "5 



Iron 



Fe 



56 



Chromium 



Cr 



52 2 



Lanthanum 



La 



139 



Cobalt 



Co 



58-8 



Lead 



Pb 



207 



