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Lithium carbonate
Other names	dilithium carbonate, Carbolith®, Cibalith-S®, Duralith®, Eskalith®, Lithane®, Lithizine®, Lithobid®, Lithonate®, Lithotabs® Priadel®
Identifiers
CAS number	[554-13-2]
RTECS number	OJ5800000
Properties
Molecular formula	Li2CO3
Molar mass	73.8909 g/mol
Appearance	Odorless white powder
Density	2.11 g/cm³
Melting point	723 °C
Boiling point	1310 °C
Hazards
Main hazards	corrosive
R-phrases	R22, R36
S-phrases	S24
Related compounds
Related compounds	lithium sulfate, lithium orotate, lithium citrate, lithium molybdate, lithium chloride, lithium hydride, lithium hydroxide, lithium bromide, lithium fluoride, lithium iodide, lithium stearate, lithium phosphate, lithium tetrahydridoaluminate, lithium carbide
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox references

Lithium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula Li₂CO₃. This colourless salt is widely used in the processing of metal oxide and has received attention for its use in psychiatry.

Properties

Like all other inorganic carbonates, Li₂CO₃ is polymeric. It is slightly soluble in water: only 1.33 grams dissolve in 100 mL at room temperature. Its solubility decreases at higher temperatures. The isolation of lithium from aqueous extracts of its ores capitalizes on this low solubility. Its apparent solubility increases tenfold under a mild pressure of carbon dioxide; this effect is due to the formation of the metastable bicarbonate:

Li₂CO₃ + CO₂ + H₂O → 2 LiHCO₃

Applications

Lithium carbonate is an important industrial chemical. It forms low-melting fluxes with silica and other materials. Glasses derived from lithium carbonate are useful in ovenware. Cement sets more rapidly when prepared with lithium carbonate, as is useful for tile adhesives. When added to aluminium trifluoride, it forms LiF which gives a superior electrolyte for the processing of aluminium.^[1] It is also used in the manufacture of most lithium-ion battery cathodes, which are made of lithium cobalt oxide.

Medical uses

Main article: Lithium pharmacology

Lithium carbonate is used to treat manic states and bipolar disorder. Lithium ions interfere with chemical reactions that relay and amplify messages carried to the cells of the brain.^[2]

Daily doses of lithium, a drug used to treat bipolar disorder, have been found to delay progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in an Italian study of 44 people with the disease. No other treatment to date has shown such a dramatic effect on ALS.^[3]

Pyrotechnics

Lithium carbonate is found in fireworks, because lithium imparts a deep red to flames.

References

1. ^ Ulrich Wietelmann, Richard J. Bauer "Lithium and Lithium Compounds" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2005, Wiley-VCH: Weinheim.
2. ^ Medical use
3. ^ MDA Research | Lithium Slows ALS Progression In Study

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• This page was last modified on 10 October 2008, at 16:02.

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