Lithium
Atomic #3
| Melting point |
180.50°C, 356.90°F, 453.65 K |
It is the lowest density of all the metals.
The most important use of lithium is in
rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and
electric vehicles. Lithium is also used in some non-rechargeable
batteries for things like heart pacemakers, toys and clocks.
Lithium
metal is made into alloys with aluminum and magnesium, improving their
strength and making them lighter. A magnesium-lithium alloy is used for armor plating. Aluminum-lithium alloys are used in aircraft, bicycle
frames and high-speed trains.
Lithium oxide is
used in special glasses and glass ceramics. Lithium chloride is one of
the most hydroscopic materials known, and is used in air conditioning
and industrial drying systems (as is lithium bromide). Lithium stearate
is used as an all-purpose and high-temperature lubricant. Lithium
carbonate is used in drugs to treat manic depression, although its
action on the brain is still not fully understood. Lithium hydroxide is
used as a means of storing hydrogen for use as a fuel.
It gets its name from "lithos," the Greek word for stone.
It is a mineral and trace amounts can be found in almost all rocks.
It is used in medications to help treat mental illnesses. Bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia. They don't really know how it works, but they think it increases chemical messengers in the brain.
Hi Scott,
ReplyDeletethe extent of my knowledge about lithium was mostly limited to the production of batteries. I had no idea that people actually ingest lithium. I would be interested in learning more about that and the effects of lithium on the body. I also wonder how much lithium is found in water, other animals, and plants. I researched copper, which also comes from a Greek word, and it has been mined for thousands of years. Copper was found in animals and plants since it does not break down easily and once the sediment has collected it usually stays put. I wonder if lithium is similar. It definitely has a much lower melting point than copper.
I find it interesting that lithium is most often used most in combination with other elements when making useful things like bike frames and aircraft parts. It was neat to read more about lithium.