About Metallic Lithium
Metallic lithium is a silvery-white, soft lightweight metal that can be cut with a knife. With a melting point of 180.54°C, boiling point of 1342°C, density of 0.534 g/cm³, and hardness of 0.6, it is the lightest metal—less dense than all oils and liquid hydrocarbons. Lithium is soluble in liquid ammonia. Due to its small atomic radius, lithium exhibits the lowest compressibility, highest hardness, and highest melting point among alkali metals.
Applications
Battery Industry
Lithium's low atomic weight and electrode potential make lithium-based batteries highly energy-dense. Additionally, lithium batteries are lightweight, compact, long-lasting, high-performing, and low-pollution, making them widely favored. They are extensively used in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, laptops, smartphones, digital cameras, small electronics, aerospace, electromechanical devices, and military communications.
Reducing Agent
Lithium dissolves in a mixture of liquid ammonia and ethanol to form an effective reducing agent for aromatic organic compounds. Valuable steroid compounds are often reduced this way. The advantage is high yield, though the cost is higher than sodium reduction, limiting its use to high-value compounds.
Catalyst
Lithium compounds serve as catalysts in organic reactions, such as polymerizing dienes (e.g., butadiene, isoprene) and producing copolymers.
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Lithium-Ammonia Catalysts: Used in carbonylations and hydrogenations.
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Lithium-Alcohol Catalysts: Such as lithium ethoxide, used in selective hydrogenation of aldehydes and ketones.
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Lithium-Salt Catalysts: Including lithium halides and alkali metal compounds, used in benzylation and fluorination reactions.
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Lithium-Hydrocarbon Catalysts: Like butyllithium and isobutyllithium, used in lithiation and organometallic synthesis.
Metallurgical Industry
Lithium enhances the properties of light alloys, ultra-light alloys, and wear-resistant alloys. For example, lithium-magnesium alloys are high-strength, lightweight, and exhibit excellent thermal/electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and impact durability, making them ideal for aerospace and defense. With increasing demand for lightweight materials in transportation, electronics, and medical devices, magnesium-lithium alloys are gaining broader applications.
Adding lithium to beryllium, zinc, copper, silver, cadmium, or boron improves toughness, hardness, tensile strength, and elasticity (lithium content varies from 0.1% to a few percent).
Lithium also acts as an effective degasser. Its high reactivity allows it to bond with hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen in molten metals, forming low-density, low-melting-point compounds that eliminate bubbles and refine grain structure, enhancing mechanical properties.
Aerospace Propulsion
Lithium and its compounds burn intensely, rapidly, and with high heat output. The energy released from 1 kg of lithium in a thermonuclear reaction equals that of 20,000+ tons of high-quality coal. Thus, lithium is ideal for rocket fuel. Solid lithium-based propellants offer high energy, fast burn rates, and exceptional specific impulse, directly increasing payload capacity in rockets, missiles, and spacecraft.
Glass Industry
Lithium renders glass "insoluble" and acid-resistant. Lithium concentrates or compounds act as powerful fluxes, lowering melting temperatures and viscosity, streamlining production, reducing energy use, extending furnace life, and improving output. Lithium also reduces thermal expansion, enhances density and smoothness, and boosts strength, ductility, and thermal shock resistance. Lithium-glass is widely used in chemical, electronic, optical, and advanced technology sectors, even in everyday products.
Lubricant Industry
Lithium-based greases outperform potassium-, sodium-, and calcium-based greases in oxidation resistance, load-bearing capacity, and lubricity. They remain stable from -60°C to 300°C and maintain performance even with minimal water exposure, making them ideal for aircraft, tanks, trains, automobiles, metallurgy, petrochemicals, and radar systems.
Medical Field
Lithium has therapeutic benefits, including:
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Treating bipolar disorder
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Preventing cognitive decline
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Anti-inflammatory effects
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Cardiovascular health support
