ZIRCONIUM: The Heat-Resistant All-Rounder 😊 Properties Zirconium is a greyish-white metal. Though soft and ductile (easily shaped), it is highly corrosion-resistant, which makes it useful in harsh chemical and nuclear environments. Its mineral form Zircon (ZrSiO₄) stands out for: These qualities make it valuable not just industrially, but also aesthetically (as zircon gemstones). Uses Occurrence…
Imagine a metal that is so strong yet lightweight, can resist heat, doesn’t corrode easily, and is even safe inside the human body. That’s Titanium — a silver-grey metal that plays a powerful role in today’s industrial world. But here’s something curious:Titanium is never found in pure metallic form in nature. It always appears as…
Imagine a shiny, silvery-blue metal — that’s Cobalt, known not just for its beauty but also for its magnetic power. It’s a ferromagnetic metal, meaning it can be magnetised and retains magnetism, making it invaluable in many industrial processes. Where Do We Find Cobalt? Cobalt doesn’t exist alone in nature. It is usually found in…
Let’s begin with a visual: imagine a shiny, silver-white metal so light that it would float on water if it didn’t react explosively with it. That’s Lithium, the lightest metal known to humanity — with a density of just 0.534 g/cm³, which is half the density of water. But don’t be fooled by its beauty…
The following periodic table highlights key critical minerals essential to modern technologies and strategic industries. Take a moment to review the visual layout along with the accompanying table detailing their diverse applications. This will give you valuable insight into their growing significance in today’s world. A little patience here will go a long way in…
📘 First Report on Critical Minerals Recently, India released its first official report titled: “Critical Minerals for India” This report was prepared by an Expert Committee under the Ministry of Mines, and it does three important things: Why These Minerals Are Critical for India These minerals are vital because they are part of multiple strategic…
Let us begin by asking a basic question: What makes a mineral “critical”? To understand this, imagine a scenario. You have a smart device—say a smartphone, or an electric vehicle (EV). Now, many of the parts inside this device depend on certain rare materials. These materials are not just “important”—they are critical. Why? Because: Definition…
Let’s begin with a question that might come in both prelims and mains: Why does India give so much importance to Thorium, even though Uranium is used as nuclear fuel today? The answer lies in a combination of resource availability, reactor design, and strategic foresight—as we shall now explore. What is Thorium? Thorium is a…
Uranium is a silvery-grey metallic radioactive element, found naturally in the Earth’s crust. It is one of the most crucial atomic minerals due to its role in nuclear energy production and defence technology. But what makes uranium so important? Uranium Isotopes and Fissility Uranium exists in nature in the form of two main isotopes: Here…
Let’s begin with a simple idea. See, just like iron is a metallic mineral and limestone is a non-metallic mineral, atomic minerals form a third category. These are minerals that contain radioactive elements like uranium, thorium, radium, and some rare earth elements (REEs). The term atomic is used because these minerals are the source of…
