Lithium

Lithium Latest News

Recently, a report says that battery-grade lithium carbonate prices are projected to average around RMB 140,000 per tonne in August, down 10.3 per cent month on month. 

About Lithium

• It is a soft, silvery-white metal that heads group 1, the alkali metals group, of the periodic table of the elements.
• Properties of Lithium
  • It has the lowest density of all metals.
  • It is the lightest of the solid elements. 
  • It reacts vigorously with water.
  • It corrodes rapidly in air, is highly flammable and must be stored in inert conditions such as mineral oil or vacuum.
• Occurrence:  Lithium does not occur as a metal in nature but is found combined in small amounts in igneous rocks.
• Lithium occurs primarily in pegmatitic minerals like spodumene and petalite and in saline brines due to its high solubility.
• Major Reserves: Lithium reserves are concentrated in the lithium triangle in South America – Argentina, Bolivia & Chile, with 50% of the deposits concentrated in these regions. 

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Applications of Lithium

• It is important in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, and electric vehicles. 
• Lithium metal is made into alloys with aluminium and magnesium, improving their strength and making them lighter. 
• Lithium oxide is used in special glasses and glass ceramics.
• Lithium stearate is used as an all-purpose and high-temperature lubricant.
• Lithium carbonate is used in drugs to treat manic depression

Source: DTE