Among minerals, there are often those whose properties are widely in demand not only in industry, but also in medicine and cosmetics. These include talc. This stone is known not as a mineral, but as a powder for children.
Oddly enough, but in nature it is almost the second most common after quartz rocks. It should be noted that talc is a stone only in its coarse-grained variety, which is often called steatite.
Its color varies from green to pure white, and regardless of the shade, it is notable for its pearl sheen. It is very soft, and to the touch gives the impression of oiliness. On the Mohs scale, its hardness is rated as “1” (minimum level).
In its usual form, it is an oily coarse powder, which is called “talc”. This stone is widespread because the conditions of its formation for geology are fairly standard.
Speaking scientifically, its chemical name is acidic magnesium metasilicate H2Mg3 (SiO3) 4. Its crystallization occurs in a rhombic or monoclinic type. It is found in nature in the form of leaf-shaped or granular formations.
From a geological point of view, talc is a secondary mineral, since it is formed after the chemical transformation of non-aluminum magnesium silicates. Often amphibole or pyroxene undergoes such metamorphoses.
Very often in appearance it can be confused with the “parent”, since it completely preserves its crystalline structure, differing only in chemical composition.
Talc itself, whose photo is in the article, is appreciated because of its color: the whiter it is, the more popular the material is. It should be noted that only the smallest talcum powder, very finely ground, is used in industry.
No need to think that this material in nature is found only in one form. There are several of its varieties at once, significantly differing both in their chemical composition and physical properties:
- Minnesotaite (it contains up to 50% iron).
- Willemsite (includes nickel).
- Steatitis (which is often called a wen), has an extremely dense and massive structure.
- Agalit. Unlike its predecessor, it is very fine fiber.
- Noble talcum powder: the best variety, distinguished by a noble white color.
Most talc is mined in the United States. In large volumes, this breed is developed in Brazil, South Korea, Japan and Russia.
So how is talcum powder used? This stone has found application as a powder, “laying” between rubber things, as a filler, and is also widely used by perfumers to create new varieties of powder.
Only it is most suitable for creating the best samples of cosmetics of this kind. By the way, professional tailors use only “chalk”, which is based on the same talcum powder. In industry, its fine-grained varieties are used in the manufacture of electrical insulators.
By the way, how much is talcum powder? To date, its price is approximately 1000 rubles per kilogram of qualitatively ground material.
