cryolite

[krahy-uh-lahyt]

cry·o·lite

[krahy-uh-lahyt]
noun
a mineral, sodium aluminum fluoride, Na3AlF6, occurring in white masses, used as a flux in the electrolytic production of aluminum.
Also called Greenland spar.


Origin:
1795–1805; cryo- + -lite
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Cryolite is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Collins
World English Dictionary
cryolite (ˈkraɪəˌlaɪt)
 
n
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: Na3AlF6

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

cryolite

colourless to white halide mineral, sodium aluminum fluoride (Na3AlF6). It occurs in a large deposit at Ivigtut, Greenland, and in small amounts in Spain, Colorado, U.S., and elsewhere. It is used as a solvent for bauxite in the electrolytic production of aluminum and has various other metallurgical applications, and it is used in the glass and enamel industries, in bonded abrasives as a filler, and in the manufacture of insecticides. A large amount of synthetic cryolite is made from fluorite. For detailed physical properties, see halide mineral (table)

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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