What are hydronium ions and how do they affect minerals?

In chemistry, hydronium is the common name for the aqueous cation H

3O+

, the type of oxonium ion produced by protonation of water. It is the positive ion present when an Arrhenius acid is dissolved in water, as Arrhenius acid molecules in solution give up a proton (a positive hydrogen ion, H+) to the surrounding water molecules (H2O).