What Is Lithium?
Lithium is the smallest alkali metal element with an atomic number of 3 and an atomic weight of 6.941. It is among the softest metals, has a low melting point, and is highly reactive, readily reacting with oxygen, water, and nitrogen in the air and easily oxidizing.
Uses of Lithium
Lithium finds extensive use in the ceramic industry, particularly in glass and ceramics, where its compound, lithium carbonate, is used as a modifier in glazes. It is also employed as an additive in heat-resistant glass and optical glass.
Primarily, lithium is vital in battery materials, including primary lithium batteries and secondary lithium-ion batteries, which are rechargeable and used repeatedly. Lithium-ion batteries power various modern electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, notebook computers, and electric vehicles. They are prized for their high energy density, long service life, lightweight, high charge efficiency, and low self-discharge rate, making lithium-ion batteries indispensable in modern society.
Beyond batteries, lithium serves in nuclear reactor materials, as a polymerization catalyst for organic synthesis, and as an alloying element with magnesium and aluminum. Its vivid red flame reaction is employed in fireworks and as a dehumidifying agent leveraging its reactivity with moisture.
Properties of Lithium
Lithium, a soft, silvery-white metal, is the lightest of all metallic elements. It is widely distributed in ores and rocks, such as lithia mica, spodumene, and lepidolite, and remains stable in dry air, showing minimal oxidation. However, it reacts with moisture, even at room temperature, producing nitrides when heated and oxides. Lithium reacts violently with water, producing hydrogen gas that ignites, though less violently than potassium or sodium, its fellow alkali metals. It boasts the highest melting point of 180°C and boiling point of 1,330°C among the alkali metals.
Other Information on Lithium
1. Distribution of Lithium
Lithium is broadly distributed across the earth but exists mainly in the form of compounds due to its high reactivity. It comprises 0.004% of the earth’s crust and is extracted from salt lake brines and ores such as amblygonite (2LiF・Al2O3・P2O5), spodumene (Li2O・Al2O3・4SiO2), petalite (Li2O・Al2O3・8SiO2), and lepidolite (K(Li,Al)3(Al,Si,Rb)4O10(F,OH)2).
2. Production Method of Lithium
Lithium is extracted from ores and brine, which are then converted into lithium carbonate before undergoing electrolysis to produce solid lithium. Initially, lithium carbonate is extracted from ores by roasting and crushing, followed by treatment with sulfuric acid. Impurities are removed by adding sodium carbonate and calcium hydroxide. Similarly, lithium carbonate from brine is processed by sun-drying lithium chloride brine, adding sodium carbonate to precipitate lithium carbonate. Finally, metallic lithium is produced by electrolyzing lithium chloride, obtained from lithium carbonate, with hydrochloric acid and potassium chloride, resulting in lithium precipitation at the cathode and chlorine at the anode.