Lithium (Li) is a soft, silvery-white metal. Famous for rechargeable batteries, lithium is important to sectors like health and technology. The lightest metal, lithium is highly reactive and flammable, but bonds well with others.
Highly reactive and flammable, it's stored in mineral oil due to its tendency to tarnish in air and react vigorously with water. As lightest metal and least dense solid, lithium has high electrochemical potential.
The main global application for lithium, with 80% of demand, is production of rechargeable batteries for electronics, electric vehicles and grid storage. Lithium is considered a critical mineral for its function in renewable energy.
Natural Occurrence and Formation
Due to its high reactivity, lithium is not found freely in nature. It occurs in combined forms within minerals like spodumene, petalite, lepidolite, and amblygonite. It's also found in brine deposits and certain clay deposits.
The origin of lithium can be traced back to two primary processes.
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis: A small amount of lithium-7 is formed shortly after the Big Bang, making it one of the few elements created in the earliest moments of the universe.
Cosmic Ray Spallation: Heavier elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen are bombarded by cosmic rays, resulting in fragmentation and formation of lighter elements, including lithium-6 and lithium-7.
Formed through cosmic processes in stars, it gathers over billions of years through geological processes. The universe contains about 30 billion tons of lithium.
Scientific Properties
Atomic Number: 3
Atomic Weight: 6.941 amu
Density: 0.534 g/cm³ (one of the least dense solid elements)
Melting Point: 180.54 °C
Boiling Point: 1342 °C
Electronic Configuration: [He] 2s¹
Reactivity: Highly reactive, readily loses its single valence electron to form positive ions (Li+).
Flame Color: Crimson red when heated.
When lithium contacts water, it reacts vigorously, producing hydrogen gas and lithium hydroxide. This reactivity is necessary for batteries and chemical reactions.
Production and Extraction
Brine Deposits: Lithium-rich brines are pumped to the surface and concentrated through solar evaporation. The lithium is then extracted through chemical precipitation, typically as lithium carbonate.
Brine extraction can yield lithium concentrations of up to 200 parts per million. Hard rock mining yields about 1.5% lithium.
Hard Rock Mining: In this process lithium-bearing minerals like spodumene are crushed, ground, roasted and treated with strong acids in chemical leaching to extract the product.
Alloying Properties
Lithium readily alloys with several metals, including aluminum, magnesium, and copper, enhancing their properties. Adding lithium to aluminum alloys increases strength and reduces weight, enabling aerospace applications.
Human Health
Lithium occurs in trace amounts in humans. Highest concentrations are in the brain and kidneys. It's believed to influence neurotransmitter activity and neuronal signaling pathways, with a connection to mental health.
Lithium also occurs naturally in various foods, including grains, vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes and drinking water. Concentrations are low and considered safe.
Symptoms of too much lithium include nausea, diarrhea, vertigo, weakness, exhaustion and neurological problems. Over time excess lithium ingestion can cause thyroid or kidney illness.
Uses of Lithium
Health: Lithium carbonate is a widely used mood stabilizer for treating bipolar disorder, manic and depressive episodes and mood swings.
Nature & Environment: Lithium has no known function in environmental processes. Its use in electric vehicles and energy storage systems contributes to sustainability by reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Electric vehicles, which are projected to make up 60% of global car sales by 2030. Lithium batteries aid in renewable energy systems, facilitating energy storage for solar and wind farms.
Science & Technology
Batteries: Lithium-ion batteries power smartphones, laptops, electric vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage systems. The life of a lithium-ion battery is 2-3 years or 300-500 charge cycles, whichever comes first.
Lubricants: Lithium-based greases provide excellent lubrication and resistance to high temperatures and pressures.
Nuclear Technology: Lithium is used in the production of tritium, a key component in nuclear fusion reactors.
Glass and Ceramics: Lithium carbonate is added to glass and ceramic formulations to lower their melting points and improve their strength and durability.
Facts about Lithium
Due to its low density, lithium is one of the few elements able to float on oil.
Lithium is so reactive it can combine directly with nitrogen gas at room temperature. It's the only metal to do so.
The "lithium triangle" in South America (Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile) holds a significant portion of the world's known lithium reserves.
The increasing demand for lithium in batteries has led to a surge in lithium mining and extraction, raising concerns about environmental sustainability.
The aerospace industry uses lithium in aircraft components.
Lithium-ion batteries typically have an energy density of 150-250 watt-hours per kilogram, significantly surpassing that of traditional batteries.
Lithium is one of the desired mineral resources in war-torn Ukraine.
Lithium is discovered in 1817, but doesn't come into widespread use until the late 20th century.
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