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2.2 What are minerals composed of?
- Elements
- Basic building blocks of minerals
- Over 100 are known (92 naturally occurring)
- Atoms
- Smallest particles of matter
- Retains all the characteristics of an element
- Minerals are composed of one or more elements
- Elements are made up of atomic particles that comprise a nucleus (protons and neutrons) surrounded by electrons
- An element is defined by its number of protons
- (see: periodic table of the elements)