cryolite
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈkraɪəˌlaɪt/
- Specialized
:
criolita
- With a small percentage of alumina dissolved in it, cryolite has a melting point of about 1,000 °C (1,830 °F).
Examples
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Aluminum oxide has a melting point of over 2,000 °C (3,630 °F) while pure cryolite has a melting point of 1,012 °C (1,854 °F).
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Whenever a solid crust forms across the surface of the molten cryolite-alumina, this crust is broken from time to time to allow the added alumina to fall into the molten cryolite and dissolve there.
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The tops and sides of the cells are covered with layers of solid cryolite, which also act as thermal insulation.
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When the cryolite-electricity process was commercialized, the cost came way down and aluminum became an everyday material.
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The unavoidable electric resistance within each cell produces sufficient heat to keep the cryolite-alumina mixture molten.
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The exhaust is primarily CO2 produced from the anode consumption and hydrogen fluoride (HF) from the cryolite and flux.
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With the percentage of aluminum dissolved in each cell being depleted by the electrolysis in the molten cryolite, additional alumina is continually dropped into the cells to maintain the required level of alumina.
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Whenever a solid crust forms across the surface of the molten cryolite-alumina, this crust is broken from time to time to allow the added alumina to fall into the molten cryolite and dissolve there.
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The stirring of the molten aluminum in each cell typically increases its performance, but the purity of the aluminum is reduced, since it gets mixed with small amounts of cryolite and aluminum fluoride.
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The tops and sides of the cells are covered with layers of solid cryolite, which also act as thermal insulation.
Synonyms
A white or clear mineral used to get fluorine
Surface Forms
Morphology
cryolite = cryo + lith + ite
Although analyzable as cryo- ('cold') + lith-/ -ite ('stone'/'mineral'), this composition does not help a learner infer the chemical identity or industrial use of the mineral, so the meaning is opaque.
Etymology
Cryolite comes from Greek words kryos 'frost' or 'cold' and lithos 'stone', so it means 'ice-stone'. The mineral is white and glassy like a piece of ice, which helps explain the name for this rare mineral used in making fluorine and aluminum.