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Named after Dr. Federico Pezzotta of the Museo Civico in Milano, Italy. Appears as a deep red-purple tabular crystals or in aggregates, often partially deeply corroded. Found in a pegmatite in association with smoky quartz, albite, elbaite, spodumene, lepidolite, and danburite at the type locality at Sakavalana mine at Ambatovia near Mandrosocoro in the Fianarantsoa province of Madagascar. It can also be found in Afghanistan at the Dewa mine in the Nuristan province and at Dara-i-Pech in the Konar province.

Ref. Minerals and their Localities, Bernard, J.H. and Hyršl, J. (2004)

IMA/CNMNC List of Mineral Names (2009) and Mineralogical Record 35 (2004), 369

Named for the arsenic content after the Greek word farmaki, or pharmaki, meaning “poison.” Pharmacolite is an uncommon mineral that forms as a secondary oxidation product of arsenic-rich minerals. It can be found in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, France, Morocco, the United States, and other older localities. Pharmacolite is associated with picropharmacolite, hornesite, and haidingerite.

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/pharmacolite.pdf