MINERAL PROPERTIES: WATER SOLUBILITY & TASTE
A small number of minerals dissolve in water. Most water-soluble minerals take
several hours to dissolve, but a few can dissolve immediately.
Water-soluble minerals often have a characteristic taste.
Taste in minerals is only present in those that are water-soluble. Some minerals have
tastes that are easily described, such as salty and bitter, but others have tastes that
are not really able to be described in words. A very small number of water-soluble minerals,
such as Chalcanthite, are
poisonous. A mineral with a taste should not be licked unless the mineral is
known not to be poisonous.