CHEM 81 Inorganic Chemistry

Paper review
on Lithium
Traya, Levie Grace M.

INTRODUCTION
Lithium, aside from being the
lightest
that

solid

water;

Alkali

element,

is

an

lighter

alkali

metals

are

metal.
elements

belonging to the group 1 (1A) in

the

periodic

lithium;

table.

Along

sodium,

with

potassium,

rubidium, cesium and radium are all

members
discovery

of

group

was

(1A).

credited

to

Its

Fig. 1 Lithium

Johan

August Arfwedson, a swedish chemist. Arfwedson discovered

lithium from an ore which was long been identified before
his

time

by

Jozee

Bonifacio

de

Andrada

Silva,

Brazilian scientist. The ore is still use today as the

major source of lithium. In the past few years lithium
has been used to make light weight, efficient batteries
and also in the field of medicine.

DISCOVERY AND NAMING

Bits

of

information

about

lithium were known in 1800 when

De

Andrada,

statesman

and

scientist at the same time, came

across a mineral ore he called
mineral

petalite

when

he

is

visiting Scandanaria. In his time

some scientist did not believed that the said petalite

was a new mineral until in 1817 when it was rediscovered

on an island in Uto.
When Arfwedson was studying the petalite, he was
puzzled by the 10% of the mineral that he cant identify
and concluded that it is a new element and called it
lithium, from the Greek work lithos which mean stone.
Fig.lithium
2 Petalite was
mineral
However, Arfwedsons failure to isolate pure

successfully made by William Thomas Brande, a Swedish

chemist, and Sir Humphry Davy, an English chemist. They
were able to produce pure lithium from its compound.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Lithium appears to be silver in color and is very
soft. It has a boiling point of 1608 K (1335 ) and a
melting point of 454 K (180 . As per water, it is has
the density of it, of about 0.534 g/cm3. In Mohrs scale,
lithiums harness is 0.6. This 0.6 hardness mean that
lithium can be scratched using our finger nails.

CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Even

though

lithium

is

considered

as

an

active

element, it is still not as active as the other alkali

metals. At room temperature it reacts slower with water
and faster at higher temperature. As it reacts with acids

it

gives

off

hydrogen

gas.

Above

100

it

forms

lithium oxide but does not react with oxygen in room

temperature.

Aside

from

oxygen

sulfur, hydrogen, and halogens.

EXTRACTION

it

also

reacts

with

Before

technology

took

over

every

extrction

technology in the world lithium industry has been using

days

of

extraction

proceses

lithium

are

extracted

by

heating the finely ground mineral with hydrochloric acid

or sulfuric acid. The bases present in the mineral are
converted

in

leaching.

As

extensive

chemical

before

the

sulfates

result,

lithium

as

in

the

the

leach

succeeding
solution

purification

lithium

precipitated
the

to

could

be

carbonate.

As

industry

water

required

Fig. 3 Amblygonite ore

expends

rapidly in to its present state,

zinnwaldite and amblygonite ores
were

considered

importance

only.

of

minor

Today

lithium

industry focuses on spodumene, a

mineral

abundant

in

North
Fig. 4 Zinnwaldite ore

America, to be its major source

along

with

petalite
extraction

the

found

important
in

process

supplies

Africa.

described

The
below

applies to spodumene.

Fig. 5
Spodumene ore

of

lepidolite

and

Base

Exchange

with

Alkali

Sulphates:

diverse

advancement was made with the discovery of Wadman and von

Girsewalt. In these methods the finely ground silicate
ore (spodumene or lepidolite) is thoroughly mixed with an
excess

of

alkali

sulphate

(usually

potassium

sulfate

(K2S04) in at least a 1 is to 1 proportion, and the

mixture

was

Exchange

heated

results,

to

with

quite
the

high

temperature.

development

of

Base

lithium

sulphate (Li2SO4). A water leach dissolves the lithium

sulphate(Li2SO4),

together

sulphate((K2SO4).

Successful

with

the

process

excess
of

potassium

this

type

of

process requires very careful grinding and mixing, as

well

as

potassium

cautious

temperature

sulphate(K2SO4)

considerations

since

is

control.
obnoxious

purification

of

The

use

from

lithium

of
cost

carbonate

involves the use of potassium carbonate(CLi2O3), if the

potassium sulphate(K2SO4) is to be recovered and recycled.
The

lower

solubility

of

potassium

sulphate(K2SO4)

as

compared with sodium sulfate(Na2SO4) is avoided, since it

limits the concentration of the lithium sulfate(Li2SO4)
solution to be precipitated by potassium carbonate(K2CO3).
Early laboratory-scale investigation of this process by
Lithium Corp. was not encouraging. Other related Base
Exchange processes are those of Lindblad, Wallden, and
Sivander3 and Sivander, Gard, Villestad, and Wallen4. The
previous covers the reaction of lithium silicate minerals
with a sodium sulphate(Na2SO4) solution, at 100C to 300C
(under pressure), while the final involves the extraction

of silicate minerals with molten sodium sulphate(Na2SO4).

Both

these

processes

would

seem

to

be

difficult

and

expensive to operate.

OCCURRENCE IN NATURE
There are two naturally occurring lithium isotopes the lithium-6 and lithium-7.
Lithium-6

is

stable

(non-reactive)

isotope

of

lithium. It is used as a source material for producing

tritium and it is also use in nuclear fusion reactions as
a

neutron

absorber.

Lithium-6

acts

as

fermions

in

interactions with other particles because it has three

protons, three neutrons, and three electrons, and these
give the atom a total atomic "spin" of plus or minus 1/2
and not the integral spin of a boson. Lithium-7, the
same with lithium-6, is a stable isotope.

It is both

naturally occurring and a produced by fission. It is by

far

the

hydroxide

most
is

common
used

for

isotope

alkalizing

pressurized water reactors.

USES IN THE INDUSTRY

of

lithium.
of

the

Litium-7

coolant

in

Lithium

metal

and

its

compound have been used in many

ways.

One

of

applications
ceramics

is

field.

its
in

greatest
glass

Using

and

lithium

carbonate as an additive makes a

glass or ceramic stronger. It is
most
brand

notably
cook

popular

wares

and

as

Pyrex

in

black-

Fig. 6 Pyrex brand measuring

cap

and-white television tubes.

Another

application

of

lithium

is

in

preparing

aluminum metal from aluminum oxide. Lithium carbonate is

used to reduce heat and make the reaction happen. In
using

this

method,

producers

were

able

to

save

money

since it uses lesser energy

Another
compound

use

lithium

of

lithium

stearate

is
is

in
use

petroleum.
to

make

Lithium
a

thick

lubricant grease by adding lithium stearate in petroleum.

The grease does not decimate at high temperature, and
does not harden when it is being cooled. Lithium grease
is used in automobiles, industry and marine application.
It is also used in cosmetics and plastics as an additive.
Lithium is also utilized in alloys. The most common
alloys of lithium are made with aluminum and magnesium.
These alloys are very light and very strong at the same
time. They are used for making armor plate and aerospace
applications.

Lithium compounds are also use as catalysts. Lithium

catalysts are use to make strong synergetic rubber that
does not have to be vulcanized unlike normal rubbers.
And

one

of

the

most

promising applications of lithium

is

its

application

in

batteries.

Car

manufacturing

batteries make electrical energy

coming from the reaction between
lead

and

produces

sulfuric
toxic.

acid

which

However,

with

lithium batteries which is much

lighter
acid

that

lead

batteries,

and

reduces

Fig. 7 Lithium Ion Battery for

Electric Car, E Bus, Hybrid
Car, Golf-Car and ect.

sulfuric
the

use

of

toxic

lead

and

cadmium. Lithium batteries are used in most products like

watches, cameras, toys and many more.

USES IN MEDICINE
The well-known application of lithium in medicine
was first studied in 1949. It was when an Australian
physician in the name of John Cade observed that patients
with

bipolar

disorder

take

lithium

carbonate

have

positive effect on them. A bipolar person experiences a

drastic and uncontrollable mood swing. A person can be
happy and becomes depress the second later. Persons with

this disorder tend to commit suicide. Cade found out that

most patients that took lithium carbonate was solaced
from

some

of

the

experiencing

symptoms.

highness

or

Patients

arent

lowness

anymore

compared

to

untreated patients. Lithium carbonate helped patients to

prevent

future

manic

and

depressive

episodes.

Lithium

acts on a patients central nervous system. Until today,

experts still cant explain how exactly lithium helps in
stabilizing a persons mood but it is thought that the
lithium carbonate helps strengthen nerve cell connections
on the brain region that is involved in regulating a
persons mood, thinking and behavior.
Coupled with its advantages, using lithium also has
side

effects.

Minor

side

effects

include

dry

mouth,

nausea, diahhrea, dizziness and weight gain. And some of

the major side effects are harm to the unborn babies,
impair thinking, muscle weakening, decrease in thyroid
function and malfunctioning of kidney.
Taking lithium should be prescribed by a doctor to
avoid lithium toxicity.
REFERENCES
Anne Marie Helmenstine. (December 4, 2014). Lithium
Facts.

Retrieved

December

15,

2014

from:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/lithium
.htm
Drugs.com.

(n.d.).

Lithium.

Retrieved

December

2014 from: http://www.drugs.com/lithium.html

3,

Edwards,

Lin.

(Dec.

14,

2000).

Lithium

To

Be

Extracted From Geothermal Waste. Retrieved December

3, 2014 from: http://phys.org/news179999592.html
"Lithium (revised)." Chemical Elements: From Carbon
to Krypton. 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2014 from
Encyclopedia.com:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3427000061.html
Steve Gagnon. (n.d.). The Element Lithium. Retrieved
December

3,

2014

from:

http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele003.html
WebMD.
(n.d.).
Lithium
For
Bipolar
Disorder.
Retrieved

December

3,

2014

http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/bipolardisorder-lithium

from: