I'm not sure I am supposed to be researching the right thing, but this is what I have been told to research. The background history, principles of operation, accuracy and cost? Any help please?!
Quartz is a silicate composed of silica. Silicate is the name of the mineral group that have silica as their main structural component and/or anion. Silica is the combination of Si and O. Often, particles of silica will link together in a variety of possible structures. If a mineral is purely silica, it is called quartz. If it has water molecules attached to the silica, it is called opal.
It is both. Silica is silicon oxide, and quartz is a crystalline form of silica. Quartz is also a silicate mineral - any mineral that contains silica is a silicate, so quartz also falls in to this group too, as it is formed (almost) totally of silica. Quartz also falls in to the group of oxide minerals, since it is the oxide of silicon, however, it is traditionally placed in the silicates.
