Meyerhofferite is a hydrated
borate
A borate is any of several boron oxyanions, negative ions consisting of boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate , metaborate , or tetraborate ; or any salt with such anions, such as sodium metaborate, and disodium tetraborate . The name a ...
mineral of calcium, with the chemical formula Ca
2B
6O
6(OH)
10·2H
2O, CaB
3O
3(OH)
5·H
2O
Handbook of Mineralogy
/ref> or Ca2(H3B3O7)2·4H2O.
/ref> It occurs principally as an alteration product of inyoite
Inyoite, named after Inyo County, California, where it was discovered in 1914, is a colourless monoclinic mineral. It turns white on dehydration. Its chemical formula is Ca(HBO)(OH)·4HO or CaB3O3(OH)5·4H2O. Associated minerals include priceite, ...
, another borate mineral.
Natural meyerhofferite was discovered in 1914 in Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in North Am ...
, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
It is named for German chemist Wilhelm Meyerhoffer (1864–1906), collaborator with J. H. van't Hoff on the composition and origin of saline minerals, who first synthesized the compound.[
]
See also
* List of minerals named after people
This is a list of minerals named after people. The chemical composition follows name.
A
* Abelsonite: C31H32N4Ni – American physicist Philip Hauge Abelson (1913–2004)alfred
* Abswurmbachite: Cu2+Mn3+6O8SiO4 – German mineralogist ...
References
{{mineral-stub
Nesoborates
Calcium minerals
Triclinic minerals
Minerals in space group 2