EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -According to the Mohs scale, talc, also known as soapstone, is the softest mineral; it is composed of a stack of weakly connected sheets that tend to slip apart under pressure.

Detailed explanation-2: -Talc (1), the softest mineral on the Mohs scale has a hardness greater than gypsum (2) in the direction that is perpendicular to the cleavage. Diamonds (10) also show a variation in hardness (the octahedral faces are harder than the cube faces).

Detailed explanation-3: -Talc: Talc is a phyllosilicate mineral that cleaves into thin sheets. These sheets are held together only by van der Waals bonds, which allows them to easily slip past one another. This characteristic is responsible for talc’s extreme softness, its greasy to soapy feel, and its value as a high-temperature lubricant.

Detailed explanation-4: -Below is the Mohs Scale in Minerals and other materials. #1 – Talc, the softest mineral, used to make talcum powder and rubber lubricant.

Detailed explanation-5: -Talc is the softest mineral on Earth. The Mohs scale of hardness uses talc as its starting-point, with a value of 1. Talc is a silicate (like many of the Earth’s most common minerals), and in addition to silicon and oxygen, contains magnesium and water arranged into sheets in its crystal structure.