I am a very soft mineral and rich in magnesium and silica. I have a soapy feel and I am often green. I am used in baby powder and lipstick. What am I?
1 Answer
Jul 6, 2017
I would go with talc, which not only has the uses mentioned in the question but also is defined to have hardness 1 on the Mohs scale.
Explanation:
Talc is soft because it's magnesium silicate based structure consists of layers that are only loosely bound to each other and thus slide easily. This property makes talc a good lubricating agent, as well as soft, and so drives its practical uses.
For more on talc, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talc.
