
Minerals | Free FullText | Talc Flotation—An Overview | HTML
Talc with a theoretical chemical composition, Mg 3 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2, is the softest mineral on Earth, mainly attributed to its chemical structure. The magnesiumbased octahedral layer is in between silica rings through shared oxygen atoms. This exposes oxide surfaces that make talc only held together by weak van der Waals forces.