Cryolite facts for kids
Cryolite is a very special and rare mineral. It is made up of two main parts: sodium fluoride and aluminium fluoride. These parts are chemically joined together.
Cryolite is super important because it helps us make aluminium. To do this, cryolite is first melted down. Then, a substance called aluminium oxide is dissolved into the melted cryolite. After that, an electric current is passed through this mixture. This process, called electrolysis, separates the aluminium.
A cool fact about cryolite is that if you put it in water, it seems to disappear! It becomes invisible, even though it doesn't actually dissolve.
Where Cryolite Comes From
Cryolite used to be found in large amounts in Greenland. There was once a big mine there, but all the natural cryolite has now been used up.
Today, most cryolite is made by people in factories. It is created artificially from another mineral called fluorite.
How Cryolite is Used
The main use for cryolite is in making aluminium. Aluminium is a light and strong metal used for many things, like soda cans, airplane parts, and even some sports equipment.
Cryolite helps to lower the melting point of aluminium oxide. This makes it much easier and cheaper to extract pure aluminium. Without cryolite, making aluminium would be a lot harder and more expensive!
Related Minerals
Images for kids
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This picture shows the tiny building blocks of cryolite, called its unit cell. The purple balls are sodium atoms, and the pale green shapes are fluorine atoms surrounding an aluminium atom.
