Lithium information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its high purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
 Lithium is a member of the alkali group of metals. It has the highest specific heat of any material and the highest electrochemical potential. This makes it important in applications involving heat transfer and as the anode in batteries. Lithium is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder. Lithium is a dopant in advanced optical glass. It is used as an alloy in light weight metals. Lithium stearate is a common high temperature lubricant.
Lithium facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are
available for many specific states, forms and shapes on the product pages listed to the left. Elemental or metallic forms include pellets, rod, wire and granules for evaporation source material purposes. Nanoparticles and nanopowders provide ultra high surface area which nanotechnology research and recent experiments demonstrate function to create new and unique properties and benefits.
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such  uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Lithium is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries.
Lithium is a Block S, Group 1, Period 2 element. The number of electrons in each of Lithium's shells is 2, 1 and its electronic configuration is [He] 2s1. In its elemental form lithium's CAS number is 7439-93-2. The lithium atom has a radius of 152.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 182.pm.
Lithium is toxic and corrosive.
 All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, thin fillm deposition using sputtering targets and evaporation materials, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology applications. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Lithium compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis.
Lithium was first discovered by Johann Arvedson in 1817.
The origin of the name Lithium comes from the Greek word lithose which means "stone".
 Lithium |
 Lithium |
 Litio |
 Lítio |
 Litio |
 Lithium |
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of lithium and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope.
| Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
| Li-6 |
6.0151223 |
7.5 |
| Li-7 |
7.0160040 |
92.5 |
The following table shows the abundance of Lithium present in the human body and in the universe scaled to parts per billion (ppb) by weight and by atom:
| |
Typical Human Body |
Universe |
| by Weight |
30 ppb |
6 ppb |
| by Atom |
27 ppb |
1 ppb |
Safety Data and Biological Role. The safety data for lithium metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin. Lithium compounds have no biological role, but are used in medications to treat manic-depressive disorders.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for lithium (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table:
| 1st Ionization Energy |
520.23 kJ mol-1 |
| 2nd Ionization Energy |
7298.22 kJ mol-1 |
| 3rd Ionization Energy |
11815.13 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to lithium's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 8.55 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 0.98. The thermal conductivity of lithium is 84.7 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for lithium are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization.
| Heat of Fusion |
4.6 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Vaporization |
147.7 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Atomization |
157.8 kJ mol-1 |
Recent Research & Development for LithiumDeprotonative Metalation of Aromatic Compounds by Using an Amino-Based Lithium Cuprate.
Nguyen TT, Marquise N, Chevallier F, Mongin F.
Chemistry. 2011 Aug 3. doi: 10.1002/chem.201100990. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21815225
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway Is a Direct Enhancer of Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 in Human Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cells.
Gilbert-Sirieix M, Makoukji J, Kimura S, Talbot M, Caillou B, Massaad C, Massaad-Massade L.
PLoS One. 2011;6(7):e22280. Epub 2011 Jul 21.
PMID:
21814573
[PubMed - in process]
Phase II screening trial of lithium carbonate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Examining a more efficient trial design.
Miller RG, Moore DH, Forshew DA, Katz JS, Barohn RJ, Valan M, Bromberg MB, Goslin KL, Graves MC, McCluskey LF, McVey AL, Mozaffar T, Florence JM, Pestronk A, Ross M, Simpson EP, Appel SH; On behalf of the WALS Study Group.
Neurology. 2011 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21813790
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Chronic olanzapine treatment decreases arachidonic acid turnover and prostaglandin E(2) concentration in rat brain.
Cheon Y, Park JY, Modi HR, Kim HW, Lee HJ, Chang L, Rao JS, Rapoport SI.
J Neurochem. 2011 Aug 4. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2011.07410.x. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21812779
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
An Experimental Study on Dynamic Morphological Changes and Expression Pattern of GFAP and Synapsin I in the Hippocampus of MTLE Models for Immature Rats.
Damaye CA, Wu L, Peng J, He F, Zhang C, Lan Y, Walijee SM, Yin F.
Int J Neurosci. 2011 Aug 4. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21812737
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Aziridines from intramolecular alkene aziridination of sulfamates: reactivity towards carbon nucleophiles. Application to the synthesis of Spisulosine and its fluoro analog.
Malik G, Esteoule A, Retailleau P, Dauban P.
J Org Chem. 2011 Aug 4. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21812488
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Syntheses of Group 4 ansa-Trovacene Complexes and Conversion of [1]Silatrovacenophanes into Paramagnetic Metallopolymers by Ring-Opening Polymerization.
Adams CJ, Braunschweig H, Fuß M, Kraft K, Kupfer T, Manners I, Radacki K, Whittell GR.
Chemistry. 2011 Aug 2. doi: 10.1002/chem.201100919. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21812040
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Local structure of Mn(4+) and Fe(3+) spin probes in layered LiAlO(2) oxide by modelling of zero-field splitting parameters.
Stoyanova R, Barra AL, Yoncheva M, Kuzmanova E, Zhecheva E.
Dalton Trans. 2011 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21811741
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
SnO(2) nanosheet hollow spheres with improved lithium storage capabilities.
Ding S, Wen David Lou X.
Nanoscale. 2011 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21811740
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Dual Lithium Insertion and Conversion Mechanisms in a Titanium-based Mixed Anion Nanocomposite.
Dambournet D, Chapman KW, Chupas PJ, Gerald RE, Penin N, Labrugere C, Demourgues A, Tressaud A, Amine K.
J Am Chem Soc. 2011 Aug 2. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21809881
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Thyroid functions and bipolar affective disorder.
Chakrabarti S.
J Thyroid Res. 2011;2011:306367. Epub 2011 Jul 26.
PMID:
21808723
[PubMed - in process]
Nonlinear computer-generated holograms.
Shapira A, Juwiler I, Arie A.
Opt Lett. 2011 Aug 1;36(15):3015-7. doi: 10.1364/OL.36.003015.
PMID:
21808390
[PubMed - in process]
Continuous wave monolithic quasi-phase-matched optical parametric oscillator in periodically poled lithium niobate.
Phillips CR, Pelc JS, Fejer MM.
Opt Lett. 2011 Aug 1;36(15):2973-5. doi: 10.1364/OL.36.002973.
PMID:
21808376
[PubMed - in process]
Neocortical levels of lithium are increased in bipolar disorder.
Friedlich AL.
Mol Psychiatry. 2011 Aug 2. doi: 10.1038/mp.2011.90. [Epub ahead of print] No abstract available.
PMID:
21808254
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Selective and differential enumerations of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium spp. in yoghurt - A review.
Ashraf R, Shah NP.
Int J Food Microbiol. 2011 Jul 21. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21807435
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Opposite effects of suicidality and lithium on gray matter volumes in bipolar depression.
Benedetti F, Radaelli D, Poletti S, Locatelli C, Falini A, Colombo C, Smeraldi E.
J Affect Disord. 2011 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21807414
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Fast heating induced impulse halogenation of refractory sample components in electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry by direct injection of a liquid halogenating agent.
György K, Ajtony Z, Van Meel K, Van Grieken R, Czitrovszky A, Bencs L.
Talanta. 2011 Sep 15;85(3):1253-9. Epub 2011 May 27.
PMID:
21807179
[PubMed - in process]
Immobilised enzyme microreactor for screening of multi-step bioconversions: Characterisation of a de novo transketolase-?-transaminase pathway to synthesise chiral amino alcohols.
Matosevic S, Lye GJ, Baganz F.
J Biotechnol. 2011 Jul 22. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21807042
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Apolipoprotein A-I as a candidate serum marker for the response to lithium treatment in bipolar disorder.
Sussulini A, Dihazi H, Banzato CE, Arruda MA, Stühmer W, Ehrenreich H, Jahn O, Kratzin HD.
Proteomics Clin Appl. 2011 Aug;5(7-8):471. doi: 10.1002/prca.201190047. No abstract available.
PMID:
21805663
[PubMed - in process]
The Lithium-Oxygen Battery with Ether-Based Electrolytes.
Freunberger SA, Chen Y, Drewett NE, Hardwick LJ, Bardé F, Bruce PG.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2011 Jul 29. doi: 10.1002/anie.201102357. [Epub ahead of print] No abstract available.
PMID:
21805544
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher] |
