Mineral

Minerals are natural, inorganic, solid compounds with a regularly ordered crystalline structure. (TNG: "Silicon Avatar") Rock is a naturally-occurring solid substance composed of minerals. (TNG: "Thine Own Self") All mineral names, with only a few exceptions, ended with the suffix -ite or -ine. Mining was the process of extracting minerals from objects like planets and asteroids. (DS9: "Chimera") Furthermore, several planets were sources of minerals in the Federation including Earth, Janus VI, Ardana, Capella IV, Coridan, and Elas. (TOS: "Journey to Babel", "Elaan of Troyius")

Notable minerals[]

Benamite crystals : could be use to construct an advanced quantum slipstream drive. (VOY: "Timeless")
Boronite: a rare mineral ore which was used in the synthesis of Omega molecules. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
Eisillium: an extremely rare mineral. (ENT: "Breaking the Ice")
Gallicite : could produce strong electrical currents when metal objects were held nearby. (ENT: "Kir'Shara")
Kemocite: a key component of the Xindi weapon. (ENT: "The Shipment")
Pergium: used to generate energy. Janus VI was an important Federation source. (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark")
Ryetalyn: this rare mineral was the only known cure for Rigelian fever. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")
Topaline: a rare mineral of which Capella IV was a rich source. (TOS: "Friday's Child")
Time crystals: a rare mineral native to Boreth. (DIS: "Through the Valley of Shadows")
Trellium: a mineral that was used as insulation against anomalies by ships in the Delphic Expanse. (ENT: "Damage")
Uridium: an unstable mineral that was used in Cardassian ship construction. (DS9: "Indiscretion")
Zenite: in 2269, the only known source of this mineral was the planet Ardana. (TOS: "The Cloud Minders")

Some lifeforms were mineral-based, such as the Crystalline Entity, the Excalbians, the Horta, the microbrain, the silicon-based lifeform, and the Tholians.

Minerals