12 Fascinating Facts about Lithium: Alkali Metal Element Atomic Number 3

1 Lithium, one of the three elements that formed at the Big Bang (along with hydrogen and helium), is a silvery-white alkaloid metal that is so soft, it can be cut like butter at room temperature.

2 Because lithium is highly reactive and flammable, it has to be stored in petroleum jelly or mineral oil to keep it stable. Exposure to the air will cause the surface to quickly oxidize into a dull grey color. Contact with the skin can cause burns due to caustic hydroxide (reaction with moisture).

Lithium batteries pack a punch for weight

3 Lithium's' Vital Statistics

Atomic number: 3
Atomic weight: 6.941

State: silvery-white metal
Category: alkali metal

Melting point:181°C (358°F)

Boiling point:1,342°C (2,448°F)

Lithium’s Usefulness in Industry

4 Having an atomic mass of only three, lithium is the lightest of all metals, and indeed of the solids. This also makes lithium the least dense and the lightest element for any given mass.

5 For its small atomic mass, lithium has large power-to-weight quotient, yielding high charge, which is why this metal is used within pacemakers, watches, cameras and cell phones. Similarly, as lithium is the lightest of all metals, is often blended with aluminum to form an extra light yet strong alloy on aircraft hulls, saving fuel consumption.

6 Because lithium is highly reactive, it serves many other functions within countless industries, namely pharmaceutical companies, lithium battery technology, air purification, aluminum alloys for aircraft hulls, heat-resistant glass and ceramics, polymers, firework pyrotechnics, industrial lubricants, metallurgy and crystal production.

Lithium Pharmaceutical Treatment for Mental Illness

7 Lithium is known for its sedating effects upon mood. It may have been used to treat mental illness as early as the second century AD by the physician Soranus of Ephesus. The local alkaline water (which is now known to contain lithium) had a calming effect upon patients who suffered mood disorders such as mania or melancholia.

8 Up to the 1940s, treatment for the mentally ill was crude and at worst, barbaric with electro convulsive therapy, lobotomies or coma-inducing insulin shock therapy. Only after Australian Doctor John Cade discovered lithium’s sedating effect upon highly-strung guinea pigs, did lithium therapy become standard treatment for mood disorders.

Lithium Symbol

9 Lithium carbonate is still used today to treat an array of mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, mania, anxiety, obsession, self-harming behavior and aggression. However, concentrations of above 20mg per liter of blood plasma can be fatal and therefore dosage is closely monitored.

10 Lithium is in fact not a drug, but a mineral in the same way as sodium and potassium, found in some foods. Lithium can also be found naturally in trace amounts within the body.

More Interesting Facts about Lithium

11 Lithium’s tendency to bond with other elements means it is seldom found in pure form and has to be extracted. Vast amounts can be found in seawater of up to 0.25 parts per million. Similarly, lithium is typically found in the brine deposits of lakes. However, only small amounts can be found in igneous rocks.

12 Lithium is one of only three metals that float on water, the other two being potassium and sodium.