Question

The building block of silicate minerals is called the _____. A) silicon-oxygen tetrahedron. B) aluminum-oxygen tetrahedron. C) silicon-oxygen triangle. D) silicon-aluminum triangle. .

Answer 1

The building block of silicate minerals is called silicon - oxygen tetrahedron (this is the option A). This silicate ion is Si O4 (4-); it consists of one atom of Si, located in the center of a tetrahedron and surrounded by 4 atoms of O, located in the vertices of the tetrahedron. Given that the SiO4 (4-) ions have a negative charge of 4, they will bond to four metallic cations, each with 1 positive charge.

Answer 2

The correct answer is ( a )