What is the right way to taste a specimen of halite, (or an unknown mineral that is similar to halite)?
2007-11-14 12:40:53 · 2 answers · asked by Mz. Tr3ma1n3 N3v3rs0n 585 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Halite is salt, NaCl. There's no harm in tasting halite, but its not a good idea to test unknown minerals by taste.
There are many natural minerals with toxic properties, eg cinnabar, realgar, arsenopyrite, coffinite, so I would suggest there is no "right way" to taste a mineral specimen except to not taste it!
2007-11-14 12:44:42 · answer #1 · answered by minefinder 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't go around tasting random crystals, even if I thought they were natural salt. Even halite can and does have a lot of weird inclusions, some of them toxic. Nonetheless, a lot of people do it.
I recommend taking a *small* spec of it on a clean finger -- just a grain or two. Also, drink a bit of water to clean out your mouth before you taste the specimen. Put the crystal on the tip of your tongue, so you can spit it out if it burns or is too bitter. Move it slowly around your tongue to get the taste. Then spit it out in any case. After that, you can decide if you want to try a larger sample.
2007-11-14 12:52:05 · answer #2 · answered by morningfoxnorth 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋