Use the information about two substances to answer the question.

Question

Substance A: organic, naturally occurring, solid
Substance B: definite chemical structure, naturally occurring

Which statement is correct?
Substance A could be a mineral. Substance B is not a mineral.
Substance A is a mineral. Substance B could be a mineral.
Substance A is not a mineral. Substance B is a mineral. Substance A is not a mineral. Substance B could be a mineral.

Answer 1

To determine the correct statement, we need to analyze the definitions of minerals and the characteristics of the substances provided.

1. Substance A:

   • Organic
   • Naturally occurring
   • Solid

   Organic substances are generally not considered minerals because minerals are typically inorganic. Therefore, Substance A cannot be classified as a mineral.

2. Substance B:

   • Definite chemical structure
   • Naturally occurring

   A definite chemical structure and being naturally occurring are both key characteristics of minerals. Therefore, Substance B can be classified as a mineral.

Now, we can evaluate the statements:

1. Substance A could be a mineral. Substance B is not a mineral.

   • This is incorrect because Substance A cannot be a mineral, and Substance B is a mineral.

2. Substance A is a mineral. Substance B could be a mineral.

   • This is incorrect because Substance A cannot be a mineral.

3. Substance A is not a mineral. Substance B is a mineral.

   • This statement is correct based on our analysis.

4. Substance A is not a mineral. Substance B could be a mineral.

   • Although Substance A is not a mineral, Substance B is not just a "could be"; it definitely is a mineral. Thus, this statement is misleading.

Therefore, the correct statement is: Substance A is not a mineral. Substance B is a mineral.