What is Lithium?

About Lithium:

• It is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. 
• Classified as an alkali metal, lithium is a solid at room temperature.
• It is the lightest of the solid elements.
• It is soft, white, and lustrous.
• It reacts vigorously with water.
• It has a body-centered cubic crystal structure.
• Occurrence:
  • Lithium constitutes about 0.002 percent of Earth’s crust.
  • Being highly reactive, it does not occur as the metal in nature, but is found combined in small amounts in nearly all igneous rocks and in the waters of many mineral springs.
  • Spodumene, petalite, lepidolite, and amblygonite are the more important minerals containing lithium.
• Major Reserves: Lithium reserves are concentrated in the lithium triangle in South America–Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, with 50% of the deposits concentrated in these regions. 
• Production: In 2023, Australia was the world leader in terms of lithium mine production, with Chile and China ranked second and third.
• Uses:
  • 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 aluminium and magnesium, improving their strength and making them lighter. 
    • A magnesium-lithium alloy is used for armour plating.
    • Aluminium-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 mosthygroscopic materials known and is used in air conditioning and industrial drying systems (as is lithium bromide). 
  • Lithium hydride is used as a means of storing hydrogen for use as a fuel.
  • Lithium carbonate is used in drugs to treat manic depression.

Q1: What are alkali metals?

Alkali metals are the six different chemical elements found in the first column of the periodic table: lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs) and francium (Fr). The alkali metals group is part of the S-block of elements in the periodic table, that along with hydrogen, helium, calcium and others, have their outermost electron in an S-orbital. The alkali metals are soft metals that are highly reactive with water and oxygen. They're so soft that you can cut them with a plastic knife. They also have a silver-like shine and are great conductors of heat and light.

Source: 1,600 tonnes of lithium resources discovered in Karnataka