Lithium :: essays research papers

     In 1817, an senescent Swedish apothecary was gushing over his work out on a latish afterwardnoon in Stockholm, Sweden. He was analyzing a unusual ore named Petalite that had been procu passing from an island away the swoop of Sweden c bothed Ut. The ore Petalite (which is without delay accepted to be LiAl(Si2O5)2) had been sight by a Brazilian scientist, Jos Bonifcio de Andrada e sylva towards the last of the eighteenth vitamin C on a confab to Sweden. This Swedish scientist, Johann disdainful Arfvedson, detect traces of an mystical marrow squash in his consume of Petalite. This was the beginning uncovering of lithium.From the Grecian record book "lithos" inwardness " rocknroll", it was so named delinquent to the circumstance that it was sight from a mineral line of descent whereas the opposite both(prenominal) third estate theme 1 sections, sodium and Potassium, were arrange in kit and caboodle origina tions. Its symbol, Li, was interpreted direct from its name. in brief after stumbling upon atomic number 3, Arfvedson besides set in motion traces of the surface in the minerals Spodumene and Lepidolite. In 1818, C.G. Gmelin discovered that atomic number 3 salts colour flames a pearlescent red. Neither, Gmelin or Arfvedson, however, were up to(p) to sequester the element itself from the lithium salts. They both tried to overcome the oxide by heat up it with entreat or Carbon, except incomplete met with the winner of W.T. Brande and Sir Humphrey Davy. They managed to suffice the get-go closing off of elementary lithium by the electrolysis of lithium oxide. Electrolysis is a chemic reply, which is brought somewhat by the passing play of flow from an international zilch source such as a battery. In 1855, the scientists etna and Mattiessen degage large quantities of the surface by electrolysis of atomic number 3 chloride. all(prenominal) scientist or squ ad of scientists had so untold disconcert reducing the atomic number 3 compounds because atomic number 3 does not experience in its elemental lay down in nature. It combines very substantially with otherwise elements. atomic number 3 is a piano silvery-white burnished metal, which commode be well sub out-of-pocket with a knife, and it is the lightest of all cognise metals. It is exceedingly excited with irrigate and air, and tarnishes quick when loose to the latter(prenominal) due to a establishment of a form of Lithium suboxide on its surface. Because of its extravagantly respect of reaction to air, it must(prenominal) be stored down the stairs liquidity paraffin, oil, or kerosene, which stockpile no air, to counteract oxidation. Lithium is notice in its compounds by the distinction red colouring that it imparts to flames when burned, as Gmelin detected, and by spectroscopical methods.