cryolite

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cryolite

mineral

Also known as: sodium aluminum fluoride

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 21, 2025 • Article History

Related Topics:: halide mineral

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Cryolite, a rare mineral, is rekindling tensions between Greenland and Denmark • Feb. 20, 2025, 1:04 AM ET (Le Monde)

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).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.