A mineral is usually associated with a large amount of unwanted material called : — Metallurgy and Isolation of Elements Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: Naturally occurring ores and minerals extracted from the Earth are contaminated with worthless rocky, sandy, or clayey impurities. Step 2: These unwanted, non-metallic earthy impurities accompanying the mined mineral are technically referred to as gangue or matrix. Step 3: Hence, the associated unwanted material is called gangue, corresponding to option (a).