![]() ![]() Lithium is widely used in various metallurgy processes.Lithium is used as lubricant greases worldwide.Lithium is widely used in the production of lithium-ion batteries, that are rechargeable and have a high energy density.The largest use of lithium is in the production of high-quality glass and ceramic.Lithium is flammable and can cause potential explosion when exposed to air and water. Lithium burns with a striking crimson color over flame, and when it is exposed to extreme heat it burns with a brilliant sliver flame. To avoid corrosion, lithium is stored in mineral oil. When exposed to moist air, it led to rapid corrosion, and turns gray and then into black color. It is an alkali metal and is highly flammable. Lithium has the highest specific heat capacity (3.58 kilojoules) along all solids. When exposed to extremely low temperatures, lithium becomes superconductive (at standard pressure). It can float on water as well as on lightest hydrocarbon oils. Lithium has density of 0.534 g/cm 3 which is quite low. Lithium has quite low melting point among other metals (180 ☌) but has the highest boiling and melting point in all alkali metals. Lithium is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Lithium is the lightest metal and the lightest solid at standard conditions. Lithium has an atomic number of 3 and atomic weight of 6.938. It is a relatively soft metal and can be cut with knife. Lithium is also found in human body, including various organs and fetal tissues. As reported by the US Geological Survey, the top three countries of the world with the highest production of lithium include Australia, Chile and Argentina. Lithium is also considered as one of the first elements that were formed as a result of the Big Bang and have been found to be prevalent in young stars while absent from older stars. Lithium is also present in biological systems but in trace amounts. Lithium occurs in ocean water and is commonly obtained from brines. It is usually present in ionic compounds, such as pegmatitic minerals. Lithium have a considerably high reactivity, and it does not allow lithium to exist in free form in nature. And then in late 1990s, as the nuclear arms race met an end, the production and demand of lithium was greatly decreased. During the Cold War, the production of lithium was increased drastically as it was used in the production of nuclear fusion weapons. US was the primary producer of lithium between 1960s to mid-1980s. In World War II, lithium was majorly used as greases for the engines of aircrafts. ![]() Lithium was isolated in pure form by William Thomas Brande (1821), through the process of electrolysis of lithium oxide and later the commercial production of lithium was carried out in 1923. The alkaline material was given the name lithium (from lithos) as it was discovered from rock as compared to other metals such as potassium and sodium that were discovered from plants and animal, respectively. It was recovered from its ore, petalite (LiAlSi 4O 10) by Johan August Arfwedson (1817). The element lithium derives its name from the Greek word “lithos” that means stone. It is a highly reactive metal and is used in variety of applications including, rechargeable batteries and rocket fuel due to its light weight and very high boiling point. Lithium is an alkali metal that was discovered in 1817. ![]()
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