Oxides and Hydroxides

GLY 4200
Lab 3 - Fall, 2012

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 Oxides
Oxygen is by far the most abundant element
in the earths crust
> 60% by atomic proportion
Many minerals contain oxygen
Only those minerals where the oxygen is
combined with metallic elements directly
are oxides
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Anionic Groups Containing Oxygen

Almost all non-metallic elements form

structural groups with oxygen, and then
these groups combine with the metallic
elements
Examples:
Carbonates CO3
Phosphates PO4
Tungstates WO4

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 Oxide Classification
Oxides can be divided into classes
Simple oxides, which contain one cation type in
association with oxygen
Multiple oxides, which contain more than one
cation type in association with oxygen
Hydroxides are minerals which contain the
OH-1 group, the oxygens are directly bound to
the metal with a single bond

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 Simple Oxides
Possible types: XO, X2O, XO2, X2O3
X is a metal cation

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 Multiple Oxides
Possible types: XY2O4, and XY2O6
X and Y are metal cations

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 Oxide Group Properties
Dense
Relatively hard
Refractory (melt at a high temperature)
Occurance:
Often found as accessory minerals in igneous and
metamorphic rocks
Because of their hardness, as resistant grains and
detrital grains in sediments and sedimentary rocks

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 Hydroxide Group Properties
Usually soft to moderate hardness
Lower densities than oxides
Occurance: alteration products formed by
weathering, hydroxides are necessarily low-
temperature minerals
High temperatures would cause dehydration
and would destroy the crystal structure
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 Ore Minerals
It is harder to obtain metals from oxides
than from sulfides, because metal-oxygen
bonds are stronger
Some elements prefer to bond to oxygen,
and do not occur as sulfides, so the ores are
oxides

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 Oxide Ores
Mineral Element or Gem
Cuprite Copper
Corundum Rubies, Sapphires
Hematite, magnetite Iron
Ilmenite Titanium
Purolusite Manganese
Cassiterite Tin
Uraninite Uranium
Chromite Chromium
Columbite-Tantalite Niobium, tantalum

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 Hydroxide Ore
Bauxite is the major ore of aluminum
It is a rock name, not a mineral name
Mixture of diaspore, gibbsite, and boehmite

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 Text Reference
See chapter 16 in the text for more
information on oxides and hydroxides, pp.
368-393

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