Book excerpt: This multi-authored handbook is a unique cross-industry resource for formulators and compounders, and an invaluable reference for the producers of formulated commodities and industrial minerals. Monographs on each of the common functional industrial mineralsùasbestos, barite, calcium carbonate, diatomite, feldspar, gypsum, hormite, kaolin, mica, nepheline syenite, perlite, pyrophyllite, silica, smectite, talc, vermiculite, wollastonite, and zeoliteùinclude an overview of natural and commercial varieties, market size, and application areas. These are supported by descriptions of mineral structures and the wedding of minerals and chemicals through mineral surface modification. This orientation to the minerals and their uses forms the foundation for chapters where they are presented in the context of the overall technology of various consuming industries. Each of these industry-specific presentations covers both the chemical and mineral raw materials used by the formulator, how these are combined, and relevant test methods. These chapters serve a dual purpose. Each clarifies for technologists the function and value of the mineral constituents of their products. Equally important, they provide a primer on the technology of industries other than their own, so that raw material, formulation, processing and testing considerations can be compared and contrasted.The book concludes with a formulary demonstrating how specific mineral and chemical ingredients are actually compounded in major application areas, and technical data on scores of commercial mineral products.