universal solvent

[granpa]

Water is referred to as the “universal solvent” because it can dissolve more substances and in greater quantity than any other solvent
yet, paradoxically, 99.9% of the earth is insoluble in water.

Rocks dont dissolve in water because a rock (even a large rock) is a single immense (covalently bonded) molecule and therefore cannot dissolve.
Or, if not a single molecule, then it is a collection of long polymer-like molecules (chain silicates/Geopolymers).
This is what makes lava amorphous.

Chem 421 - Crystalline and Amorphous Polymers

Solid organic compounds consisting of ordinary small molecules tend to be crystalline, that is, the molecules pack themselves in regular three-dimensional arrays. Polymers are different; they can be amorphous (totally lacking positional order on the molecular scale) or semicrystalline (containing both crystalline and amorphous regions in the same sample).


Semicrystalline polymers have true melting temperatures (Tm) at which the ordered regions break up and become disordered. In contrast, the amorphous regions soften over a relatively wide temperature range (always lower than Tm) known as the glass transition (Tg). Fully amorphous polymers do not exhibit Tm, of course, but all polymers exhibit Tg.

If they are allowed to cool slowly, these chains (chain silicates) can fold up into regular crystal structures but they are still long chains of covalently bonded atoms.
On the other hand, if it cools too quickly then the result is an amorphous glass, like obsidian



MINERALS

Silicates

Consists of a small silicon atom with a +4 charge surrounded in tetrahedral fashion by four larger oxygen atoms each having a -2 charge (Figure).
Net charge on the anion group is -4.
To satisfy this charge deficiency the SiO4 tetrahedra can either bond with cations (Fe, Mg, Ca, K, Na)
or join with other SiO4 tetrahedra through oxygen sharing.

SiO4 tetrahedra:

Chain silicates (Figure) Can be either single or double chain silicates. Single chains share two basal oxygen while the double chain shares three. Two examples of this group are the pyroxenes (single chain) and amphiboles (double chain). Since the Si-O bonds are stronger than the tetrahedra-cation bonds this subgroup has fairly good cleavage in two directions.

Chain silicates:

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Water is referred to as the “universal solvent” because it can dissolve more substances and in greater quantity than any other solvent

Correct.

yet 99.9% of the earth is insoluble in water.

Mmmmaybe, though that doesn't detract from it being the 'universal' solvent - it's still the best solvent.

Rocks dont dissolve in water because a rock is a single molecule and therefore cannot dissolve.

Rock is not a single molecule. And as it happens, rocks do dissolve in water, albeit sometimes slowly. Water is a major cause of erosion.

Or it is a collection of long polymer-like molecules. This is what makes lava amorphous.

I'm no geologist, but I don't think rocks are made of long polymer-like molecules. Aren't they large bulks of silicate crystals?

 

[contango]

Water is referred to as the “universal solvent” because it can dissolve more substances and in greater quantity than any other solvent yet 99.9% of the earth is insoluble in water.

Rocks dont dissolve in water because a rock is a single molecule and therefore cannot dissolve.

Huh?

A single molecule cannot dissolve? Presumably that would mean other single molecules also can't dissolve like, say, salt?

 

[granpa]

Correct.


Mmmmaybe, though that doesn't detract from it being the 'universal' solvent - it's still the best solvent.


Rock is not a single molecule. And as it happens, rocks do dissolve in water, albeit sometimes slowly. Water is a major cause of erosion.


I'm no geologist, but I don't think rocks are made of long polymer-like molecules. Aren't they large bulks of silicate crystals?

As I showed in the image above they are called chain silicates.
These chains can fold up into crystal structures but they are still chains of covalently bonded atoms

 

[juvenissun]

Water is referred to as the “universal solvent” because it can dissolve more substances and in greater quantity than any other solvent yet 99.9% of the earth is insoluble in water.

Rocks dont dissolve in water because a rock is a single molecule and therefore cannot dissolve.
Or it is a collection of long polymer-like molecules. This is what makes lava amorphous.


MINERALS

What kind of response do you like to see? Correction or ignoring?

 

[DaisyDay]

To state the obvious, there are different kinds of rocks, made up of many different kinds of molecules. Aren't sedimentary rocks by definition soluble in water?

 

[granpa]

Silicates make up the bulk of the earth
and that would include most sandstone which is the most common type of sedimentary rock
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundance_of_elements_in_Earth's_crust

 

[granpa]

Chem 421 - Crystalline and Amorphous Polymers


Solid organic compounds consisting of ordinary small molecules tend to be crystalline, that is, the molecules pack themselves in regular three-dimensional arrays. Polymers are different; they can be amorphous (totally lacking positional order on the molecular scale) or semicrystalline (containing both crystalline and amorphous regions in the same sample).


Semicrystalline polymers have true melting temperatures (Tm) at which the ordered regions break up and become disordered. In contrast, the amorphous regions soften over a relatively wide temperature range (always lower than Tm) known as the glass transition (Tg). Fully amorphous polymers do not exhibit Tm, of course, but all polymers exhibit Tg.

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

Are we supposed to be discussing anything?

 

[Heissonear]

What kind of response do you like to see? Correction or ignoring?

You may want to get up to date - there are inorganic monomers that make up inorganic polymer. Geologists typically do no refer to silicates, sulfides and the like this way, but material scientists and inorganic chemists do.

I've got many "geopolymer" patents pending.

.

 

[Michael]

Silicates make up the bulk of the earth
and that would include most sandstone which is the most common type of sedimentary rock
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundance_of_elements_in_Earth's_crust

Since you seem to know a lot more about silicates than I do, perhaps you could do me a favor.

What would be the highest temperature range that silicates might reach and still remain in a 'solid' form? Would adding large amounts of Nickel and Iron raise or lower that temperature range dramatically? How much of an influence would gravitational force have on that temperature range? In other words, if the size of the mass body were larger than on Earth, would the temperature range of solids change much?

 

[juvenissun]

You may want to get up to date - there are inorganic monomers that make up inorganic polymer. Geologists typically do no refer to silicates, sulfides and the like this way, but material scientists and inorganic chemists do.

I've got many "geopolymer" patents pending.

.

One of my colleague in the Art department told me the other day: Many artists now think ugly is beautiful.

Remember, God does give us the ability of telling good from evil.
No geopolymer for me.

 

[granpa]

Water is referred to as the “universal solvent” because it can dissolve more substances and in greater quantity than any other solvent
yet, paradoxically, 99.9% of the earth is insoluble in water.

Rocks dont dissolve in water because a rock (even a large rock) is a single immense (covalently bonded) molecule and therefore cannot dissolve.
Or, if not a single molecule, then it is a collection of long polymer-like molecules (chain silicates/Geopolymers).
This is what makes lava amorphous.

Chem 421 - Crystalline and Amorphous Polymers
If they are allowed to cool slowly, these chains (chain silicates) can fold up into regular crystal structures but they are still long chains of covalently bonded atoms.
On the other hand, if it cools too quickly then the result is an amorphous glass, like obsidian



MINERALS
SiO4 tetrahedra:

Chain silicates:

Carbonates which do dissolve in water are very similar

but

This structure is incompatible with the observed symmetry of the ion, which implies that the three bonds are equally long and that the three oxygen atoms are equivalent. As in the case of the isoelectronic nitrate ion, the symmetry can be achieved by a resonance between three structures

Carbonate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia