General Principles of Chemistry As Applied to Minerals

447. Minerals, as regards their chemical constitution, are either the uncombined elements in %native state, or definite compounds of these elements formed in accordance with chemical laws. It is the object of Chemical Mineralogy to determine the chemical composition of each species; to show the chemical relations of different species to each other where such exist; and also to explain the methods of distinguishing different minerals by chemical means. It thus embraces the most important part of Determinative Mineralogy. In order to understand the chemical constitution of minerals, some knowledge of the fundamental principles of Chemical Philosophy is required; and these are here briefly recapitulated. 448. Chemical Elements. - Chemistry recognizes about eighty sub- stances which cannot at will be decomposed, or divided into others, by any process of analysis at present known; these substances are called the chemical elements. A list of them is given in a later article (452) ; common examples are: Oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine, gold, silver, sodium, etc.