minerality may very well be a flow of electrons released from various metallic elements of the periodic table as they move to higher valences. Elements such as zinc, aluminum, magnesium, and many others have an oxidized state as well as a reduced state. They can move from the former to the latter by giving up an electron, for example, Fe2+ → Fe3+ + e–. This is the rust reaction, and also the main mechanism through which soils retain oxygenation after tilling.
