Chemistry - CHEMICAL BONDING Question with Solution | TestHub
Which of the following minerals contain three oxygen corners shared per silicate unit ?
Options:
Answer:
Solution:
The question asks to identify the mineral where each silicate unit shares three oxygen corners. This refers to the sheet silicates (phyllosilicates).
Let's analyze the options:
A. : This is a pyroxene, which is an inosilicate (single chain silicate). Each tetrahedron shares two oxygen atoms.
B. : This is a cyclosilicate (ring silicate). Each tetrahedron shares two oxygen atoms.
C. : This is an amphibole, which is an inosilicate (double chain silicate). Each tetrahedron shares two or three oxygen atoms, but not uniformly three per unit.
D. : This is a kaolinite group mineral, which is a phyllosilicate (sheet silicate). In sheet silicates, each tetrahedron shares three oxygen atoms with adjacent tetrahedra, forming a continuous sheet. The general formula for the silicate sheet is .
Therefore, the mineral containing three oxygen corners shared per silicate unit is a sheet silicate, represented by option D.
The final answer is