A mineral composed of calcium, uranium, and silicate; a fluorescent mineral found in uranium deposits.
From cuspidate (meaning pointed) plus the mineral suffix -ine, because its crystals form with pointed terminations. Named for its distinctive cuspidate crystal form.
Cuspidine is radioactive and fluorescent under ultraviolet light, which made it valuable to Marie Curie's researchers studying uranium—pointing the way toward understanding radioactivity itself!
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