FreeShip- Cryolite (Kryolite)- (Prompt rebate on orders with 3 or more FreeShip items!)

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Note that we carry both cryolite (kryolite) and fluorite (fluorspar), closely related minerals, used in enameling and glass art and to a lesser extent in ceramic glazes. Note that the related fluorspar is a material which should be handled with care, avoid inhalation. But unlike fluorspar, cryolite at ambient temperatures is a "safe" material, only a dust nuisance (but at high kiln temperatures, it too can release fluorine gas although that is less likely and lower amounts are probable with cryolite, for more on that see below).
To see both, go here:
{ https://www.etsy.com/shop/NorthernWestStuff?ref=hdr_shop_menu&search_query=halide+mineral }
Here is an sds sheet on cryolite:
{ http://www.lagunaclay.com/sds/pdf/3rawmat/adry/MCRYO_Cryolite_2016.pdf }
It gets a 0, 0, 0; health, fire, reactivity on the NFPA safety diamond (which is very good). If you're not familiar with that NFPA diamond symbol with the 4 colors, go here:
{ https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/chemical-safety/basics/nfpa-hazard-identification.html }

Cryolite is an unusual mineral with several uses. It is a "halide" mineral, along with fluorite, which have some similar properties. It shares some of the same uses in the arts community, including glassmaking, enameling, and limited use in ceramic glazes. Some synonyms are: kryolite, sodium aluminum fluoride, Greenland spar, icestone, and ice stone. Too rare to mine, it's produced synthetically (made from the more common fluorite). The Wiki article says "Due to its rarity it is possibly the only mineral on Earth ever to be mined to commercial extinction."
In low fire ceramic glazes it can be used as a strong fluxing agent (with a relatively low melting point). A source of insoluble sodium and used in frits for enameling and glazes. It can also be used as an opacifier. In glass it will produce opalescence. In ceramics it can make crackle glazes.
A short entry in the CAMEO art materials database { http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Cryolite } says:
"White, translucent crystalline mineral composed of sodium aluminum fluoride. Cryolite occurs naturally in Greenland (Ivigtut) with smaller sources located Spain, U.S. (Colorado) and Russia. It may also be made synthetically by fusing sodium fluoride and aluminum fluoride. Cryolite is used as a flux and opacifier in porcelain enamel. It is also used to make opalescent glass."
The Digital Fire ceramics database { https://digitalfire.com/4sight/material/cryolite_250.html } says:
"A fluoride of aluminum and sodium associated with granite. It is a valuable source of insoluble sodium used in enameling and sometimes in frits and glazes. This material is a very active melter.
Because cryolite lacks oxygen it is useful in creating artificial reduction glazes for electric firing.
Since this material is looking for oxygen to satisfy vacancies resulting from the gassing away of fluorine, it will take it from the kiln atmosphere or from neighboring molecules. The net effect of this take up is that cryolite has a lower than expected LOI." [loss on ignition]
Cryolite contains fluorine and at high firing temperatures can release that poisonous gas. Digital fire has this to say about fluorine release from cryolite:
"...However various factors can play to effect a partial gassing of fluorine (an incomplete supply of oxygen to fill all vacancies and the fact the fluorine can form silicates by supplanting oxygen and thereby releasing it as a gas). The complexity of the situation can be demonstrated by mixing it half-and-half with kaolin, weighing, firing to cone 6 and weighing again. In one such test we did the cryolite lost 13.9% of its weight. Considering that the kaolin component loses 13% there still should have been a net gain. The mixture was an incredibly active melter (it needs to be fired in a deep crucible), this suggests that F was gassing."
Anyone who works in ceramics should be aware that hazards like this are possible. If your kiln is inside a studio it needs to have a fume hood. Any material that's new to you should be assumed to be hazardous until you look it up, which is easy to do with the web.

The Wikipedia article discusses it further and gives other uses { https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryolite } :
"...Cryolite is used as an insecticide and a pesticide. It is also used to give fireworks a yellow color. Molten cryolite is used as a solvent for aluminium oxide (Al2O3)...used in the refining of aluminium. It decreases the melting point of molten (liquid state) aluminium oxide to 900-1000 °C from 2000-2500 °C. Thus cryolite makes the extraction of aluminium profitable. Fluorspar (CaF2) is also added to the mixture...It was historically used as an ore of aluminium and later in the electrolytic processing of the aluminium-rich oxide ore bauxite...The difficulty of separating aluminium from oxygen in the oxide ores was overcome by the use of cryolite as a flux to dissolve the oxide mineral(s)...and it can dissolve the aluminium oxides sufficiently well to allow easy extraction of the aluminium by electrolysis. Substantial energy is still needed for both heating the materials and the electrolysis, but it is much more energy-efficient than melting the oxides themselves...
Cryolite was first described in 1798 by Danish veterinarian and physician Peder Christian Abildgaard...it was obtained from a deposit of it in...Southwest Greenland. The name is derived from the Greek language words κρυος (cryos) = ice, and λιθος (lithos) = stone. The Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company used large amounts of cryolite to make caustic soda at its Natrona, Pennsylvania works during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Due to its rarity it is possibly the only mineral on Earth ever to be mined to commercial extinction."-

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Sep 3, 2019

Well packed, super fast shipping, thanks!

Duke