Introduction

Minerals are natural substances that are extracted from rocks found either on the surface or inside the earth. Based on their natural properties, they are categorized into two groups namely metallic minerals and non-metallic minerals. Metallic minerals are minerals that contain metal elements such as iron, copper, zinc, and lead.

There is a crucial role of minerals in human civilization, and their extraction has been a fundamental aspect of human history. There are over five thousand three hundred different types of minerals, including coal, fuel gas, and precious stones like diamonds. The importance of metallic minerals in human daily life is significant, as they are used in various industries, including manufacturing, construction, and transportation.

The composition of minerals can be either organic or inorganic. Metallic minerals are composed of inorganic matter and are extracted from the earth’s surface for various purposes.

In conclusion, metallic minerals are an essential part of human civilization, and their extraction has played a crucial role in the development of modern society. With their diverse properties and uses, metallic minerals have helped shape the world we live in today (1) & (2).

Definition

Minerals from which metals are obtained by smelting are called metallic minerals. All metallic minerals are impure in nature. They contain many volatile substances or metals (4).

Description

Properties

Metallic minerals have unique properties that set them apart from non-metallic minerals.

• Metallic minerals are tough and resistant and are of any size.
• Are also flexible in nature.
• Can be turned into a thin wires by beating them.
• Metallic minerals are excellent conductors of heat and electricity.
• They have a quality of reflecting light from their surface. This property of metallic minerals having a shining surface is called “metallic luster”. Their shiny appearance makes them useful in making jewelry.
• The melting point and boiling point of metallic minerals are high.
• Its density is much higher than that of non-metallic minerals.
• Hitting metallic minerals produces metallic sounds (2) & (4).

Classification

Metallic minerals are divided into three classes on the basis of nature and properties (physical and chemical). These are as follows

1. Ferrous minerals

Metallic minerals that contain a large amount of iron are called ferrous minerals. It is a metallic mineral that exhibits magnetic properties due to the presence of iron in the form of hydroxide, carbonate, or sulfide. These minerals are important for the growth of a country’s metallurgical industry.

They provide a solid foundation for the growth of the metallurgical industry. These metallic minerals account for about three-quarters of the total value of metallic mineral production. Ferrous minerals are heavy and recyclable (2).

Example

Some examples of ferrous minerals are

1. Iron ore

Iron is never found in pure form in nature. It is mixed with various rocks in ore form. These iron ores can be divided into five classes according to the amount of metallic iron (4). These are

• Magnetite

This black-colored iron ore contains more than 75% iron. Occasionally magnetism is effective in such ores and there is a special demand for these ores in the electrical industry.

• Hematite

This red color iron ore contains about 70% iron. Although this ore has less iron than magnetite, it is most commonly used in the iron and steel industry, hence it is called industrial ore of iron.

• Limonite

It contains about 63% iron. This ore has to be processed before being used in a blast furnace.

• Siderite

The iron ore found in the form of carbonate without oxides is called siderite. This gray iron ore contains 48% of iron.

• Taconite

Iron is currently being extracted from such low-quality ore. The amount of iron is 25 to 30%.

2. Manganese

Manganese is a very important ferrous mineral. Although various types of manganese ore are found in nature, manganese is extracted commercially from four main types of ores. These are pyrolusite, romanechite, manganite, and hausmannite.

2. Non-ferrous minerals

They are the type of metallic minerals that are free of iron. These minerals are more expensive than ferrous minerals. Non-ferrous minerals do not show magnetic properties. Most of these minerals are sufficiently resistant to corrosion.

These minerals contain different proportions and are in different combinations. They can also occur as pure primary forms; for example, nonferrous metallic minerals such as copper, gold, and silver, etc. often include metals such as zinc, nickel, platinum, cobalt, etc. Many non-ferrous minerals have lower melting points (2) & (4)

Example

Some examples of non-ferrous minerals are

1. Copper

Copper is one of the most widely used non-ferrous minerals since ancient times. It is found in the free state in nature, though not in large quantities. These types of minerals are found naturally in Siberia and the Ural mountains of Russia. They also exist with minerals as various compounds.

Notable minerals in copper are

• Copper pyrite or chalcopyrite

The amount of copper is 35%.

• Chalcocite

The amount of copper in chalcocite is 80%.

• Cuprite

Here the amount of copper is 88%.

• Malachite

About 60% of copper is present in malachite

• Azurite

The amount of copper is about 55%.

Copper is mainly extracted from two ores, such as chalcopyrite and cuprite. Most of these are extracted from copper pyrite.

2. Bauxite

Bauxite is composed of aluminum oxide. It contains 15 to 25% aluminum and is only used for commercial purposes. It is the primary source of aluminum needed to make building cement. Bauxite is found near the surface and is often combined with clay minerals, iron oxide, and titanium dioxide. It is often used in the manufacture of electrical products and other industries (3) & (4).

Difference between metallic and non-metallic minerals

Metallic and non-metallic minerals both are types of minerals. But there are some differences between them. The differences between metallic and non-metallic minerals are-

Content	Metallic minerals	Non-metallic minerals
1.     Meaning	Metallic minerals are minerals that release various metals during smelting.	Non-metallic minerals are minerals that release various non-metals during smelting.
2.     Source	Igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks are the sources of metallic minerals.	Non-metallic minerals are found in sedimentary rocks.
3.     Produced new products	New products are obtained from it during melting. That is, it forms other metals during the melting process.	These minerals do not form any new substances or metals during melting.
4.     Heat and electricity	It is a good conductor of heat and electricity.	It is less conductive to heat and electricity.
5.     Nature	These types of minerals are generally hard.	They are softer than metallic minerals.
6.     Luster	They are luster.	Non-metallic minerals are not luster.
7.     Malleability	It has high malleability power.	Their malleability is lower than that of metallic minerals.
8.     Ductility	Have high ductility.	Low ductility.
9.     Examples	Iron ore, copper, manganese, tin, bauxite, etc.	Salt, coal, clay, mica, etc.
10.   Appearance	Are shiny.	Not shiny.
11.  Density	Have a high density.	Low density.
12.  Reaction with water	They react with water to form metallic hydroxide and emit H₂ gas.	They do not participate in any reaction with water.
13.  Melting point	These minerals have a high melting point.	Melting points of non-metallic minerals are lower than metallic minerals.
14.  Reaction with H₂ gas	They react with H₂ gas to form metal hydrides.	Non-metallic minerals react with H₂ gas to form only hydrides (2) & (4).

Metallic minerals list

They are the type of minerals that are made up of metals. Copper, gold, manganese, zinc, aluminum, silver, iron, diamond, bauxite, iron ore, platinum, nickel, pyrite, hematite, tungsten, tin, chromite, cobalt, corundum, lead, galena, magnetite, chromium, titanium (3).

Metallic minerals examples

• Ferrous minerals

These types of minerals contain a large amount of iron. They are heavy and recyclable. It has magnetic properties due to the presence of iron in the form of hydroxide, carbonate, or sulfide. Some examples of ferrous minerals are-

1. Iron ore

The major iron ore producing countries of the world are China, Brazil, Australia, India, the USA, Ukraine, Canada, South Africa, Sweden, etc. Australia is currently the world’s largest iron ore producer country.  Mount whaleback is the largest iron ore mine in Australia. Iron ores can be divided into five categories based on the amount of iron. These are

Iron ore	Amount of iron (in %)
Magnetite	More than 75%
Hematite	70%
Limonite	63%
Siderite	48%
Taconite	20 to 30%

2. Manganese

Manganese is a very important component of the steel industry. The major importers of manganese are the United States, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, etc.

The manganese ores are pyrolusite (amount of manganese is 63%), hausmannite, psilomelane (amount of manganese is 45 to 60%), bornite, etc.

• Non-ferrous minerals

These minerals are free of iron. Non-ferrous minerals do not have magnetic properties. Some examples of non-ferrous minerals are

1. Copper

Ore of copper	Amount of copper (%)
Copper pyrite or chalcopyrite	35%
Chalcocite	80%
Cuprite	88%
Malachite	60%
Azurite	55%

Producer country

The world’s major copper-producing countries are Chile, the United States, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Peru, Mexico, South Africa, and Zambia.

1. Bauxite

Bauxite is the main source of ore of aluminum. The amount of aluminum in bauxite is 55 to 65%. Aluminum is extracted from bauxite by electrolysis method.

Producer country

The primary bauxite-producing countries of the world are Australia, Guinea, Jamaica, Brazil, India, Venezuela, etc. (4).

Q&A

1. What are metallic minerals?

They are a type of mineral from which metals are obtained by smelting.

2. What is the difference between metallic and nonmetallic minerals?

Metallic minerals	Non-metallic minerals
1.  Have high ductility and malleability.	Low ductility and malleability.
2.     They have a high melting point	These minerals have low melting points.
3.     New substances are obtained from these minerals during melting.	They do not form any new substances or metals during melting
4.    Are shiny.	They are not shiny. These minerals are dull.
5.     They are good conductors of heat and electricity	Are less conductive to heat and electricity (2).

 3. Which of the following minerals has a metallic luster?

Gold, silver, and copper have metallic luster.

4. What is one property that can be used to distinguish metallic from nonmetallic minerals?

Metallic minerals have luster, but non-metallic minerals do not have luster.

5. What are two ways nonmetallic minerals can be used?

• They are used for the production of industrial cement, ceramics, and glass products.
• They are also used in sanitary ware, tableware, and decorative products.

Written By: Manisha Bharati