Geologists may choose to lick a mineral to identify it. what mineral is the geologist expecting with this test?

what does the table look like

hydrocarbons are organic compounds that contain only hydrogens and carbons. they can be saturated (those which contain only carbon-carbon single bonds) or unsaturated (those which contain carbon-carbon double or triple bonds) in nature. hydrocarbons can undergo several reactions like substitution, elimination etc.  

on substituting one or more hydrogen atoms in hydrocarbon it results in the formation of haloalkane. as the halogen atoms are large compared to the carbon and hydrogen atoms, due to which the molecular weight increases and the bond become polar because of presence electronegative halogen atom and results in the increase in boiling point of the haloalkane.

thus, the correct option is (b) that is the boiling point of the new compound increases on substituting a hydrogen atom with a halogen in a hydrocarbon.

answer is: nuclear fusion produces elements that are heavier than helium.

nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing energy.  

for example, fusion of hydrogen atoms at the sun.  

this fusion nuclear reaction is in the inner core of the sun and hydrogen (atomic number 1) is conveted into helium (atomic number 2).  

the inner core is the central region of the sun and all solar energy is produced in the core by nuclear fusion.