Answer to Question #165805 in Chemistry for Ethan Horn

Question

If 2 samples of the mineral quartz were obtained from different rocks. One sample was found to consist of 3g of silicon and 4g of oxygen. The other sample consisted of 6g of silicon and 7g of oxygen. Does this suggest that quartz is a compound or a mixture. Explain.

Answer 1

Quartz is a chemical compound that is composed of one silicon atom and two oxygen atoms. It appears naturally in several crystalline forms that may differ in the number of silicon and oxygen atoms in the crystalline structure. However, these differences do not affect chemical properties of quartz crystals.