is silica a nutrient or mineral in rocks?
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Neither. \n\nUsing the term silica is not specific enough to describe a mineral. There are forms of biogenic silica that cannot be considered a mineral by definition. \n\nTo be a mineral the silica would have to be quartz, or some other mineral formed from SiO2, of which there are many. \n\nSilicone dioxide may be used as a trace nutrient and apparently plays some role in bone, skin and hair. However, there is no established recommended daily value, and it is likely that humans receive enough SiO2 dissolved in their tap water to satisfy the need. Many public water supplies actually have more SiO2 dissolved in the water than they do calcium carbonate.  I know this from my own laboratory analyses of drinking water while in grad school. \n\nHowever, I am still saying that silica is not a nutrient in rocks, because it must be dissolved before it can be utilized as a nutrient, and eating silica in solid form would not be of any benefit because it would not dissolve in the digestive system
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Talc\nGypsum\nCalcite\nFluorite\nApatite\nFeldspar\nQuartz\nTopaz\nCorundum\nDiamond
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The reason why silica has a high melting point is that it forms a giant structure with the silicon is bound to four oxygen atoms in an arrangement similar to diamond (tetrahedrally) with the silicon atoms placed between the oxygen atoms. It does this because the SiO2 had a significantly larger ionic character than carbon dioxide.
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The previous answer is correct, but silicon dioxide is referred to by many different names and appears in many forms.  It is most commonly known as silica, it commonly appears in nature as sand or sandstone, but it also appears in three crystalline forms, one of which is quartz.  Please review the source below.\n\nNeed an answer?  Ask your friendly neighborhood librarian!
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Plant growth, no matter what the soil type and water source, is controlled by nutrient availability.  Soil types vary greatly in their ability to provide adequate nutrients for plant growth.  For example, clay soils typically do not provide adequate nutrients without additional fertilizers.  This is due to the fact that the soil particles can "grab" the nutrients and hold on to them, making them unavailable to plants.  Sandy soils can also be difficult to grow plants in due to the fact that the nutrients are able to leach deeper into the soil profile where the plant cannot reach them.  Silty type soils are the middle ground.  They hold nutrients in such a way that plants are able to utilize them and the density of the soil is such that the nutrient does not leach down to where the plant cannot reach it.\nThe pH of the water can also have a significant affect on plant growth.  Typically, the pH of water should be near neutral.  The more acidic or alkaloid the water, the more plant growth is diminished.
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C. Silicon (sand) and oxygen (think of all of the air and water(h2o)
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Rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids. Rocks are classified by mineral and chemical composition; the texture of the constituent particles; and also by the processes that formed them. These indicators separate rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.\n\nMinerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. The term "mineral" encompasses not only the material's chemical composition, but also the mineral's structure. Minerals range in composition from pure elements and simple salts to very complex silicates with thousands of known forms (organic compounds are usually excluded)
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Here are some potential sources:\n\nhttp://www.bestcrystals.com/ulexite.htm\n\nhttp://www.northwestnatureshop.com/department/Rocks_and_Minerals/Rock_and_Mineral_Specimens/592.html\n\nI'm sure you could find more if you googled it like I did.
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Si is the most abundant mineral element, but feldspar would be the most abundant mineral as far as rocks & minerals. Quartz comes in second.
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Sodium does not exist simply as a metal in nature - it's too reactive, so it is found as a compound. Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the earth's crust at about 2.6 - 3.0%. The most common mineral is rock salt (sodium chloride, NaCl, or halite), but it occurs in many other minerals including sodium borate (borax), sodium carbonate (soda), sodium nitrate (Chile saltpetre). and sodium sulphate (thenardite).
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Yes it has something to do with acids.\n\nLimestone is CaCO3 deposits. If you look at the acid-base reaction between an acid and CaCO3 you can see that the carbonate ion favors being protonated and because of the fact that it's protonated state is very unstable it readily becomes water and CO2 gas. \n\n2 H+ + CO3 2- ---> H2CO3 ---> H2O + CO2\n\nThese two products of the reaction are very healthy for environments. However, since this reaction doesn't occur in areas of mostly granite, these bi-products aren't produced leading to the acid having a more detrimental affect on the surrounding environment.
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The best answer is C. Minerals are inorganic, have a definite homogeneous chemical structure, are solid and have a crystalline structure formed by geologic processes.
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A rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids. Rocks are classified by mineral and chemical composition, by the texture of the constituent particles and by the processes that formed them. These indicators separate rocks into igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. They may also be classified according to grain size, in the case of conglomerates and breccias or in the case of individual stones.\n\nMinerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. The term "mineral" encompasses not only the material's chemical composition, but also the mineral's structure. Minerals range in composition from pure elements and simple salts to very complex silicates with thousands of known forms (organic compounds are excluded). The study of minerals is called mineralogy.
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A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organism's metabolism, growth, or other functioning. Six nutrient groups exist, classifiable as those that provide energy, and as those that otherwise support metabolic processes in the body: Some of them are essential because they cannot be synthesized in the body and must be obtained from a food source.
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The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is the oxide of silicon, chemical formula SiO2.\n\nIt is found in nature in several forms, including quartz and opal. In fact, silica has 17 crystalline forms (see Nomenclature of Silica). Also, many forms of life include silica structures (Biogenic Silica), including microorganisms such as diatoms, plants such as horsetail, and animals such as hexactinellid sponges.\n\nIt is manufactured in several forms including glass (in colorless high purity form called fused silica), synthetic amorphous silica and silica gel (used e.g. as desiccants in brand new clothes and leather goods). Silica, with alumina, is a crucial ingredient in clay and allows for the development of an interlocking crystal matrix after firing in earthenware, stoneware and porcelain ceramic processes. Silica is a major ingredient of Portland cement. The ceramic re-entry heat protection tiles mounted on the bottom side of the Space Shuttles are made mostly of silica, as are the firebricks used in steel processing.\n\nThe most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal settings is silica, usually in the form of quartz because the considerable hardness of this mineral resists erosion. However, the composition of sand varies according to local rock sources and conditions.\n\nInhaling crystalline silica dust can lead to silicosis.\n\nVariants found in high-pressure impacts are coesite and stishovite.\n\nSilica is also used as a food additive, primarily as a flow agent in powdered foods, or to absorb water. See the ingredients list for Burger King. Silica is also naturally present in the cell walls of various plants (including edible ones) to strengthen their structural integrity.\n\nThe chemical stability of silicon dioxide and its electrical insulation properties are a major reason why silicon is the dominant material for semiconductor devices. It is used to separate the active regions of devices and to form insulating surfaces.
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A mineral.  It's one of the characteristic differences between a rock and a mineral, that the mineral has a defined composition that will crytsalize.
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In agriculture phosphate refers to one of the three primary plant nutrients, and it is a component of fertilizers. Rock phosphate is quarried from phosphate beds in sedimentary rocks. In former times it was simply crushed and used as is, but the crude form is now used only in organic farming. Normally it is chemically treated to make superphosphate, triple superphosphate, or ammonium phosphates, which have higher concentration of phosphate and are also more soluble, therefore more quickly usable by plants.