Keyite


Keyite is a mineral with the chemical formula 6 · 2O. The name comes from Charles Locke Key, an American mineral dealer who furnished its first specimens.
Keyite is monoclinic-prismatic, meaning its crystal form has three unequal axes, two of which have 90° angles between them and one with an angle less than 90°.
Keyite belongs to the biaxial optical class, meaning it has more than one axis of anisotropy, in which light travels with zero birefringence, and three indices of refraction, nα = 1.800, nβ, and nγ = 1.870. Being a very rare cadmium copper arsenate, keyite is only found in Tsumeb, Namibia in the Tsumeb mine, a world-famous copper mine known for its abundance of rare and unusual minerals.