The Protomineral World As a New World of Neglected Dimensions

The paper is dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the birth of W. Ostwald and to the centenary of the publication of the Russian edition of his book “World of Neglected Dimensions”, which changed ideas about the micro- and nanoworld. We have briefly reviewed the results of the first and second stages of this research breakthrough into the world of micro- and nanosized particles. This newly discovered understudied “world” between separate atoms, molecules, and minerals is called a “protomineral world.” We suggest calling this world a new “world of neglected dimensions” by analogy with W. Ostwald’s book. The key objects of the protomineral world are precrystallization clusters in mineral-forming environments called “hidden” phase clusters, or quatarons. The potential of future investigation of the structural forms of the formation and occurrence of protomineral matter will be determined by the use of the free electron laser and instruments of attosecond physics.