lithium (Li), chemical element of Group 1 (Ia) in the periodic table, the alkali metal group, lightest of the solid elements. The metal itself—which is soft, white, and lustrous—and several of its alloys and compounds are produced on an industrial scale.
What is lithium in simple words?
Definition of lithium
1 : a chemical element of the alkali metal group that is the lightest metal known and that is used especially in alloys and glass, in mechanical lubricants, and in storage batteries — see Chemical Elements Table. 2 : a salt of lithium (such as lithium carbonate) used in psychiatric medicine.
What matter is lithium?
solid
Lithium is a chemical element with symbol Li and atomic number 3. Classified as an alkali metal, Lithium is a solid at room temperature.
What are 5 uses of lithium?
Lithium and its compounds have several industrial applications, including heat-resistant glass and ceramics, lithium grease lubricants, flux additives for iron, steel and aluminium production, lithium batteries, and lithium-ion batteries. These uses consume more than three-quarters of lithium production.
What is lithium made of?
The name for lithium comes from the Greek lithos, which means stone. Lithium occurs in most igneous rocks, although it doesn’t occur free in nature. Lithium metal is made by electrolysis of fused lithium chloride.
What are 3 interesting facts about lithium?
Fun Lithium Facts
- Lithium is the lightest metal.
- Lithium has the lowest density of any metal.
- Lithium is a shiny, soft metal which reacts violently with water forming a strong corrosive base.
- Lithium burns with a bright red color.
- Lithium is used extensively in rechargeable batteries.
What country has most lithium?
Chile
With 8 million tons, Chile has the world’s largest known lithium reserves. This puts the South American country ahead of Australia (2.7 million tons), Argentina (2 million tons) and China (1 million tons). Within Europe, Portugal has smaller quantities of the valuable raw material.
How is lithium formed in nature?
Natural abundance
Most lithium is currently produced in Chile, from brines that yield lithium carbonate when treated with sodium carbonate. The metal is produced by the electrolysis of molten lithium chloride and potassium chloride.
What are lithium uses?
Lithium is used to treat and prevent episodes of mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood) in people with bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods).
What is special about lithium?
Lithium is a special metal in many ways. It’s light and soft — so soft that it can be cut with a kitchen knife and so low in density that it floats on water. It’s also solid at a wide range of temperatures, with one of the lowest melting points of all metals and a high boiling point.
What is the price of lithium today?
| Price | Day | |
|---|---|---|
| Steel | 5,070.00 | 1.71% |
| Iron Ore | 156.00 | 3.31% |
| Lithium | 493,500.00 | 0% |
| Platinum | 1,114.71 | -0.59% |
Where is lithium found?
Most of the world’s lithium is extracted from rocks or brine. Deposits below the salt flats of Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia — together referred to as the “lithium triangle” — are estimated to contain more than three-quarters of the world’s supply.
What kind of medicine is lithium?
Lithium is a type of medicine known as a mood stabiliser. It’s used to treat mood disorders such as: mania (feeling highly excited, overactive or distracted) hypo-mania (similar to mania, but less severe)
Who is the largest producer of lithium?
The Largest Lithium Producing Countries
| Country | 2020 Lithium Production* (tonnes) | % of World Total |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 40,000 | 46.3% |
| Chile | 20,600 | 23.9% |
| China | 14,000 | 16.2% |
| Argentina | 6,200 | 7.2% |
How did lithium get to Earth?
Much of the Lithium Here on Earth Came from Exploding White Dwarf Stars. The Big Bang produced the Universe’s hydrogen, helium, and a little lithium. Since then, it’s been up to stars (for the most part) to forge the rest of the elements, including the matter that you and I are made of.
How many lithium mines are there in the world?
Over 15 million MT lithium deposits are globally available in an extractable form. Chile (8.6 MMT), Australia (2.8 MMT), Argentina (1.7 MMT), and China (1MMT) lead in terms of potential/extractable lithium reserves. Australia and China constituted more than 60% of world’s lithium production in 2019.
Why Is lithium the best element?
It is the least dense of the solid elements and is the lightest of all the metals. It has the highest specific heat capacity of any solid element. Lithium is very reactive and flammable.
What if lithium didn’t exist?
If lithium were to become scarce, it would eventually threaten the production of electric cars, and push up prices in the meantime. The mass-production of electric vehicles has been halted for a long time by an insufficient supply of batteries.
Who discovered the lithium?
Discovered in 1817 by the Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson, lithium is one of the three elements synthesized during the Big Bang along with hydrogen and helium. Derived from a Greek word, its name means stone.
Does India have lithium?
India does not have enough lithium reserves for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries and almost all electric vehicles in the country run on batteries imported mostly from China. “Lithium content in a cell is less than 4 percent (including electrolytes), so we still have the major portion of the cell for localisation.
What companies mine for lithium?
23, 2021.
- Albemarle. Mining and chemical producer Albemarle is leading the charge in global lithium output.
- Ganfeng Lithium. On the other side of the Pacific, Ganfeng Lithium dominates as China’s largest producer of base materials for battery manufacturing.
- Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile.
- Livent.
- Lithium Americas.
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