1. Lithium Presented By Mariama Mansaray

2. Definition Lithium is a group 1(IA) element containing a single valance electron elements which are called alkali elements.

3. Brief History It ’ s was discovered in the mineral petalite (LiAl(Si 2 O 5 ) 2 ) by John August Arfvedson in 1817. It was first removed by William Thomas Brande and Sir Humphrey Davy through the electrolysis of lithium oxide(Li 2 O)

4. Basic Information and Classification of Lithium Name: Lithium Symbol: Li Atomic Number:3 Atomic weight: 6.941 (2). Standard state: solid @ 298k CAS registry ID: 7439 – 93 - 2 Group in periodic table: 1 Group name: alkali metal Periodic in periodic table:2 Block in periodic table: s- block Color: silvery, white/gray Classification: Metallic

5. Nature of Lithium It ’ s only stored in mineral oil and because of it ’ s high reactivity lithium never occurs freely in nature. It ’ s only appears in compounds, which are usually ionic. Occurs in pegmatite minerals,and depending on it ’ s solute as an ion, its is present in ocean water It ’ s is obtained from brines and clays.

6. A freshly cut chunk of lithium is silvery, but gets dull in a minute give a gray surface when in air. Its chemistry is occupied by its movement to lose an electron to form Li +. It is the first element within the second period.

7. Atomic And Physical Lithium has a low reactivity compared to other alkali metals. This occurs due to the proximity of its valence electron to its nucleus (the remaining two electrons in lithium's 1s orbital and are much lower in energy, and do not participate in chemical bonds).

8. Lithium is a metal that is soft enough to cut with a knife. When cut, it possesses a silvery-white color that quickly changes to gray due to oxidation. it has one of the lowest melting points among all metals (180 °C) it has the highest melting and boiling points of the alkali metals.

9. Lithium's coefficient of thermal expansion is twice of aluminum and four times of iron. It has the highest specific heat capacity of any solid element.

10. Chemistry and Compounds It’s reacts easily with water, but with less energy than other alkali metals do. The reaction forms hydrogen gas and lithium hydroxide in aqueous solution. lithium is usually stored under cover of a viscous hydrocarbon, often petroleum jelly.

11. If it is placed over a flame, it’ compounds give off a prominent crimson color and if it continue to burn the flame turns brilliant silver. Lithium will burst into flames and burn in oxygen when exposed to water or water vapors. Lithium is ignitable, and it is possibly dangerous when exposed to air.

12. Isotopes lithium is composed of two stable isotopes, 6 Li and 7 Li, the far it is the more abundant it gets (92.5% natural abundance). Both natural isotopes have low nuclear binding energy per nucleon The shortest-lived isotope of lithium is 4 Li, which decays through proton emission and has a half-life of 7.6 × 10 −23 s.

13. Uses lithium is mixed with oils to make all- purpose and high-temperature lubricants. lithium is blended with aluminum, copper, manganese, and cadmium to make high functioning blends for aircraft lithium hydroxide is used to absorb carbon dioxide in space vehicles.

14. lithium is sometimes used as battery anode material (high electrochemical potential) lithium compounds are used in dry cells and storage batteries Lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3 ) is used as a drug to treat manic depression disorder

15. lithium is used in the manufacture of special high strength glasses and ceramics sometimes, lithium-based compounds such as lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3 ) are used as drugs to treat manic-depressive disorders

16. Sources http://www.webelements.com/lithium/uses. html http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele00 3.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium#Atomic _and_physical