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Lithium
By: Sarah S.
The History of Lithium
Johan August Arfvedson, a Swedish chemist, Discovered by lithium in ore from a
Swedish iron mine in 1817. Arfvedson originally discovered lithium in a petalite ore
(An important ore of lithium) , and found it in the minerals spodumene and lepidolite.
The element was separated from the petalite ore by W.T. Brande and Sir Humphrey
Davy. It was apparently given the name "lithium" because it was discovered from a
mineral while other common alkali metals were first discovered from plant tissue.
+
Spodumene
=
Lepidolite
Lithium
Basic Facts of
Lithium
Lithium is the 3rd element on the
periodic table. It is classified as an
Alkali Metal and located in Group 1
elements of the periodic table. An
element as an Alkali Metal is a very
reactive metal that does not occur
freely in nature. Alkali metals are soft
and good conductors of heat and
electricity. The symbol of Lithium is Li.
It’s atomic number is 3. The atomic
number of an element is the atomic
number of protons found in the
nucleus of an atom. The atomic mass
of lithium is 6.941. The atomic mass
means the number of neutrons and
protons inside an atom is equal to the
mass of one atom inside the element.
Lithium is soft and silvery white and it
is the least dense of the metals. It is
highly reactive and does not occur
freely in nature.
Uses
When lithium is combined with
other metals such as aluminum, it
makes very strong and light
alloys. Those qualities make it
popular with the aerospace
industry. Lithium is very useful
because you can find it acting as
the positive half of many
batteries and as part of highperformance, industrial
lubricants. As lithium chloride
(lithium plus chlorine), it is very
good at absorbing large amounts
of water. Taken as lithium
carbonate (lithium, oxygen, and
carbonate), lithium helps restore
damaged personalities – calming
and relieving sufferers of mental
illnesses such as manic
depression.
Fun Facts
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Lithium was one of the first three elements out of
hydrogen and helium to be created within the
first 3 minutes when the universe was created.
Lithium is the lightest of all metals on the
periodic table.
Lithium is one of the only metals that cannot be
found in its pure form.
Lithium can be easily sliced with a knife.
The name for lithium comes from the Greek
word lithos which means stone.
Glossary
Ore-A naturally occurring solid material from
which a metal or valuable mineral can be
profitably extracted.
Nucleus-The positively charged central core of an
atom, containing most of its mass.
Lubricants-A substance, such as oil or grease,
used for minimizing friction.
Manic-Showing wild and apparently extreme
excitement and energy.