# All Natural, Non-Organic Substances - How Many?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-natural-non-organic-substances-how-many/351833
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 8, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-natural-non-organic-substances-how-many/351833 "2006-04-08T04:41:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-natural-non-organic-substances-how-many/351833/1 "2006-04-08T04:41:43Z")
My google-fu is weak.
So many synthetic materials have been created over the years, and the pharmaceutical companies racing to create even more, but they are all based in form or another on the periodic elements and other naturally occuring minerals. The period table is easy enough to find, but is there a list of the most common natural minerals and substances? For example, sodium chloride (salt), iron oxide (rust), potassium nitrate (saltpeter), etc.
I’m gonna leave organic substances out of this since that is entire branch until itself.
Grazie,
AP
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### Author:  [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2006, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-natural-non-organic-substances-how-many/351833/2 "2006-04-08T14:56:09Z")
> [@Agnostic Pagan](#):
>
> My google-fu is weak.
>
> So many synthetic materials have been created over the years, and the pharmaceutical companies racing to create even more, but they are all based in form or another on the periodic elements and other naturally occuring minerals. The period table is easy enough to find, but is there a list of the most common natural minerals and substances? For example, sodium chloride (salt), iron oxide (rust), potassium nitrate (saltpeter), etc.
>
> I’m gonna leave organic substances out of this since that is entire branch until itself.
>
> Grazie,
>
> AP
[from here:](http://www.amonline.net.au/geoscience/earth/structure.htm#composition)
> [@](#):
>
> The overall composition of the Earth is dominated by the elements iron (Fe), oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), nickel (Ni) and sulfur (S). This is because most of the mass of the Earth occurs within the mantle which is composed largely of the ferromagnesium silicate minerals olivine and pyroxenes. The core of the Earth is largely composed of iron and nickel. The crust of the Earth mainly comprises the minerals plagioclase, quartz and hornblende and is dominated by the elements oxygen, silicon, aluminium, iron, calcium, sodium, and potassium.
>
> The overall composition of the Earth is very similar to that of meteorites, and because of this, it is thought that the Earth originally formed from Planetesimals composed largely of metallic iron and silicates
Of course, this pales in comparison to the thousands of kilograms the pharmaceutical industry pumps out every year.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-natural-non-organic-substances-how-many/351833/3 "2006-04-08T15:24:01Z")
The CRC handbook of Chemistry and Physics contains a list of common inorganic compounds such as sodium chloride and thulium iodide. My copy contains about **4,400** different inorganic compunds. There are many times that number of more exotic inorganic compounds out there.
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### Author:  [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-natural-non-organic-substances-how-many/351833/4 "2006-04-08T22:57:23Z")
I think I found what I was looking for - [USGS](http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/) “Statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of minerals and materials essential to the U.S. economy, the national security, and protection of the environment.”
Thanks again,
AP
Mods - go ahead and close this.