Cryolite (Noun)
Meaning
A white mineral consisting of fluorides of aluminum and sodium; a source of fluorine.
Classification
Nouns denoting substances.
Examples
- Cryolite was historically a source of aluminum, which was once derived from this mineral through electrolysis.
- Extracting aluminum fluoride from cryolite to produce fluorine proved environmentally hazardous.
- Until the discovery of bauxite, cryolite was mined for aluminum, making it an important industrial mineral.
- Ivigtut, a tiny mining town in Greenland, used to be a major source of cryolite for overseas markets.
- Cryolite also reacts violently to water, breaking down into sodium fluoride, aluminum hydroxide, and aluminum oxide.