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cryolite

American

[krahy-uh-lahyt] / ˈkraɪ əˌlaɪt /

noun

a mineral, sodium aluminum fluoride, Na 3 AlF 6 , occurring in white masses, used as a flux in the electrolytic production of aluminum.

cryolite British

/ ˈkraɪəˌlaɪt /

noun

a white or colourless mineral consisting of a fluoride of sodium and aluminium in monoclinic crystalline form: used in the production of aluminium, glass, and enamel. Formula: Na 3 AlF 6

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cryolite

First recorded in 1795–1805; cryo- + -lite

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cryolite

A pivotal moment in that championship bout came when Shin’s opponent played “kyrolite,” which is not legal, instead of “kryolite,” an alternate spelling of the mineral cryolite.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 1, 2022

The second largest use is in the manufacture of cryolite, Na3AlF6, which is important in the production of aluminum.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Heating the hydroxide produces aluminum oxide, Al2O3, which dissolves in a molten mixture of cryolite, Na3AlF6, and calcium fluoride, CaF2.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Greenland's only industrial asset is a cryolite mine, run by Danes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Aluminum is formed by the electrolysis of the aluminum oxide in a fused bath of cryolite and fluorspar.

From The Story of Electricity by John Munro

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023