Conicalcite is an arsenate mineral, belonging to the phosphate mineral class. It was discovered by August Brithaupt at the Freiberg Academy in Germany while examining specimens of supposed malachite in his collection. One of them had peculiar characteristics, and upon analysis, it turned out to be an arsenate rather than a carbonate. The specimen came from the Spanish town of Hinojosa del Duque (Córdoba), and Brithaupt proposed the name Conicalcite, derived from the Greek words konia (lime) and khalkos (copper), alluding to its composition.