The properties of lithium allow its use in science and technology, nuclear energy, industry and medicine. The substance is distributed in many minerals of the earth's crust, in sea water and as a part of giant stars. The human body also struggles to cope without it. Metal or non-metal lithium? What is its nature and properties? Let's find out.
Is lithium metal or non-metal?
Its name is associated with the Greek word "stone" and for the first time sounded like "lithion". All due to the fact that it was discovered in stones or minerals. Until the 19th century, it was not known whether lithium metal or non-metal. No one knew of the existence of such an element until the Swede Johann Avferdson in 1817 discovered an unknown alkali in the spodumene and petalite minerals.
Due to the activity of the substance, the scientist was unable to obtain an element from alkali. But a year later, the Englishman Hamphprey Davy did this through electrolysis. After that, it could be studied, and the scientific world was able to find out what lithium is. It turned out that this is a light and soft metal with quite interesting properties.
After a quarter of a century, they learned how to obtain it industrially and immediately found use for it. Lithium was used in medicine, prescribing it for headaches, gout and rheumatism. Although its real benefits with these ailments have not been proven. In the XX century, a drink with lemon and lime appeared on the basis of lithium carbonate. Now it is known as 7Up, but metal compounds are no longer included in it.
What is he capable of
Now that we know lithium metal or non-metal, let's talk about its features. The lithium atom with atomic number 3 is usually indicated by the symbol Li. As a simple substance, it has a light silver color and an extremely small mass. Among all the metals on the planet, the lightest.
It also has the smallest density - only 0.534 g / cm³, which is almost two times less than that of water. Lithium is softer than lead. With a little effort, it can be cut with a knife. It represents a group of alkali metals in which it has the highest boiling point (1339.85 ° C) and melting point (180.54 0176 ° C).
An important characteristic of lithium is its reaction to air. Interacting with oxygen, it is oxidized and covered with a film of oxides, carbonates. This is the only metal that reacts with air nitrogen at room temperature. At the same time, it is covered with a black coating of lithium nitride. When melted with a temperature from 100 to 300 degrees, it ceases to oxidize immediately after the formation of the oxide film.
The metal reacts relatively calmly with water, releasing hydrogen and lithium hydroxide. If during the reaction to ignite the generated hydrogen, the metal ions will make the flame pink-red.
If you just set fire to lithium, then its flame will turn white. But when set on fire in the sand, he will react with silicon and color the fire orange. With sulfur, copper sulphate and wood, lithium burns very actively, exploding or forming many sparks.
In nature
On our planet, lithium is found only in compounds. It is found in sea water in an amount of approximately 0.17 mg / l and in highly saline lakes. It is also found in the upper layers of the earth's crust in an amount of 21 g / t.
Lithium is mainly found in lepidoliths, spodumene, petalites, lithiophilites, amblygonites and cinnewaldites. It occurs together with rare elements in pegmatites and ongonites. It can form independent minerals, and can replace potassium in them.
Metal is present in space, mainly in giant stars. A huge amount of lithium is in the Thorn-Zhitkov facility, which consists of a red giant with a neutron star inside.
Where is it mined?
There are lithium deposits on all continents of our planet. They are found in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Congo, Serbia, China, Australia, USA. The metal itself is not very rare, but in many rocks it is too dispersed, and its mining is accompanied by great cost and effort.
There are few profitable lithium deposits. Almost half of the metal deposits remain unused until now. A large share of world production is controlled by only three enterprises from Australia, Canada and Zimbabwe. But the largest deposits are in South America.
About 60% of the world's lithium is in Bolivia on the dried up lake of Uyuni. This is the largest salt marsh on the planet. Here, among the snow-white salt cover, there are puddles containing a huge amount of metal.
Application
Lithium is not used in its pure form, since it is too active. As a rule, it is alloyed with other metals, for example, with sodium. The properties of lithium are used in metallurgy - it increases the strength and ductility of alloys. In nuclear energy, it is used as a coolant. Helium-3 is obtained from the lithium-6 isotope.
Metal is used to create ceramics, glass, rubber and ultrapure metals. They are filled with alkaline batteries and discharge lamps. In the textile industry, fabrics are bleached with lithium; in pharmaceuticals, it is needed for the manufacture of cosmetics.
Biological role
In addition to the environment, lithium is also found in plants and animals. In the human body, it is present in the heart, adrenal glands, blood and plasma, liver, lungs and thyroid gland. We need it to maintain immunity, protect against allergies and disorders of the nervous system, to exchange fats and carbohydrates.
A person needs about 100-200 micrograms of lithium per day. It contains potatoes, carrots, lettuce, mushrooms, aspen, peaches, radishes, mineral water, meat, fish, eggs, tomatoes, solanaceous, etc.
It reduces the excitability of the nervous system, which is why it is often used in medicine. Drugs with lithium are prescribed for depression, affective disorders, Alzheimer's disease. But in large quantities, metal is harmful to the body. Poisoning them leads to nausea, thirst, decreased libido, dermatitis, dizziness, loss of coordination, and in some cases, coma.