| Bakerite | |
| Category: | Nesosilicate |
| Formula: | Ca4B4(BO4)(SiO4)3(OH)3·H2O |
| Strunz: | 9.AJ.20 |
| System: | Monoclinic |
| Class: | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Symmetry: | P21/c |
| Unit Cell: | a = 4.85 Å, b = 7.627 Å, c = 9.659 Å; β = 90.255°; Z = 1 |
| Color: | Colorless, white |
| Luster: | Vitreous, dull |
| Diaphaneity: | Translucent |
| Gravity: | 2.88 |
| Opticalprop: | Biaxial (-) |
| Refractive: | nα = 1.624 nβ = 1.635 nγ = 1.654 |
| Birefringence: | δ = 0.030 |
| 2V: | Measured: 87° to 88° |
Bakerite is the common name given to hydrated calcium boro-silicate hydroxide, a borosilicate mineral (chemical formula Ca4B4(BO4)(SiO4)3(OH)3·(H2O)) that occurs in volcanic rocks in the Baker, California area.[1] Discredited mineral: IMA2016-A.
It was first described in 1903 for an occurrence in the Corkscrew Canyon Mine of the Black Mountains, Furnace Creek District, Death Valley National Park, Inyo County, California, US.[2] It was named for Richard C. Baker, a director of the Pacific Coast Borax Company.[3] [4]