to make a solution of, as by mixing with a liquid; pass into solution: to dissolve salt in water. to melt; liquefy: to dissolve sugar into syrup. to undo (a tie or bond); break up (a connection, union, etc.). to break up (an assembly or organization); dismiss; disperse.
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is based on the ability of one natural sample of mineral to scratch another mineral visibly. The samples of matter used by Mohs are all different minerals. Minerals are pure substances found in nature. Rocks are made up of one or more minerals.
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness was created by German mineralogist, Friedrich Mohs, in 1822 to measure the relative hardness or scratch resistance of various minerals. He based it on ten readily available minerals. As it is an ordinal scale, two minerals must be compared to decide which is harder.