cryolite

Thân thiện

A scientist examines a sample of cryolite under bright laboratory lights.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A white or colorless mineral consisting primarily of sodium aluminum fluoride (Na₃AlF₆). It is an important source of fluorine and was historically used as a flux to lower the melting point of alumina in the industrial production of aluminum.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Cryolite is a rare mineral found in significant quantities only in Greenland.
  • The primary use of cryolite was as a solvent for alumina in the Hall-Héroult process for aluminum extraction.
  • Under UV light, some specimens of cryolite can exhibit fluorescence.

Advanced Usage

• "Synthetic cryolite": Artificially produced sodium aluminum fluoride, which has largely replaced the natural mineral in industrial applications.
  • Most aluminum smelters now use synthetic cryolite.

Variants and Related Words

• Kryolite: An alternative spelling for cryolite.
• Ice stone: An archaic name for cryolite, referring to its ice-like appearance.
• Aluminum fluoride: A related compound, often present with or synthesized alongside cryolite.

Synonyms

• Sodium hexafluoroaluminate: The systematic chemical name for cryolite.
• Aluminum sodium fluoride: A descriptive synonym.

Related Phrases and Terms

• Cryolite deposit: A geological formation containing the mineral cryolite.
  • The Ivittuut mine in Greenland was a famous cryolite deposit.
• Cryolite ratio: A term in metallurgy referring to the proportion of cryolite in an electrolytic bath.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a white mineral consisting of fluorides of aluminum and sodium; a source of fluorine

Từ đồng nghĩa

• greenland spar