Is there a difference between minerals in biology and chemistry?
In biology minerals refer to the ions of metals found in living things such as K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ (Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium) ions. In chemistry minerals refer to crystalline inorganic substances that were formed by geological processes and which have a definite chemical structure eg silicates or carbonates. Olivine is an example of a silicate mineral it contains silicon, iron, magnesium and oxygen.
