Cryolite was first described in 1798 by Danish veterinarian and physician Peder Christian Ablidgaard and was historically used as an ore of aluminum.
Cryolite was first described in 1798 by Danish veterinarian and physician Peder Christian Abildgaard (17401801); it was obtained from a deposit of it in Ivigtut and nearby Arsuk Fjord, Southwest Greenland. It was historically used as an ore of aluminium and later in the electrolytic processing of the aluminium-rich oxide ore bauxite (itself a combination of aluminium oxide minerals such as gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore). 
