Meyerhofferite is a hydrated borate

Borate

Borates are chemical compounds which contain oxoanions of boron in oxidation state +3. The simplest borate ion, BO33−, has a trigonal planar structure. Other borates are made up of trigonal BO3 or tetrahedral BO4 structural units, sharing oxygen atoms...

 mineral, with the chemical formula Ca₂B₆O₆(OH)₁₀·2(H₂O), CaB₃O₃(OH)₅·H₂O or Ca₂(H₃B₃O₇)₂·4(H₂O). It occurs principally as an alteration product of inyoite

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·4 or CaB3O35·4....

, another borate mineral.

Natural meyerhofferite was discovered in 1914 in Death Valley

Death Valley

Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 It is named for German chemist Wilhelm Meyerhoffer

Wilhelm Meyerhoffer

Wilhelm Meyerhoffer 13 September 1864 – 21 April 1906) was a German chemist.Meyerhoffer studied chemistry and worked with Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff at the University of Amsterdam and theUniversity of Berlin....

 (1864-1906), collaborator with J. H. van't Hoff on the composition and origin of saline minerals, who first synthesized the compound.