Lithium carbonate
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| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name
Lithium carbonate
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| Other names
Dilithium carbonate, Carbolith, Cibalith-S, Duralith, Eskalith, Lithane, Lithizine, Lithobid, Lithonate, Lithotabs Priadel
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| Identifiers | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.008.239 |
| RTECS number |
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties | |
| Li2CO3 | |
| Molar mass | 73.891 g/mol |
| Appearance | Odorless white powder |
| Density | 2.11 g/cm3 |
| Melting point | 723 °C |
| Boiling point | 1310 °C decomp. |
| 1.3 g/100 ml | |
| Hazards | |
| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards
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irritant |
| Flash point | Non-flammable |
| Related compounds | |
Other cations
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Sodium carbonate Potassium carbonate Rubidium carbonate Caesium carbonate |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Lithium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula Li2CO3. This colorless polymer 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 (around 22 degrees Celsius). 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
Lithium carbonate does not occur naturally, but can be prepared from lithium ores such as lepidolite, petalite, spodumene, and amblygonite.[1]
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.[2] Lithium carbonate can be used in a type of carbon dioxide sensor[3]. It is also used in the manufacture of most lithium-ion battery cathodes, which are made of lithium cobalt oxide.
Medical uses
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.[4] In the manic stage of bipolar disorder there is an observed irregular, increase in protein kinase C’s activity within the brain. A recent study has shown that Lithium carbonate and valporate, another drug traditionally used to treat the disorder, act in the brain by inhibiting PKC’s activity and help to create other compounds that also inhibit the kinase. [5]
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.[6]
In 1843, lithium carbonate was used as a new solvent for stones in the bladder. In 1859, some doctors recommended a therapy with lithium salts for number of ailments including gout, urinary calculi, rheumatism, mania, depression and headache. In 1949, Cade discovered the antimatic effects of lithium ions. This knowledge led Lithium, specifically Lithium Carbonate to be used to treat mania associated with bipolar disorder. Recently, topical lithium has been utilized in dermatologic disorders, such as herpes viral infections. It is hoped that lithium will be used in the future as an antiinflammatory, antiviral, antifungal, and antitumor agent. Lithium salts when used at low doses do not cause addiction, but do have a number of risks and side effects associated with their use, epically at higher doses.[7] Lithium intoxication affects the central nervous system and renal system and is potentially lethal.[8]
Pyrotechnics
Lithium carbonate is found in fireworks, because lithium imparts a deep red to flames.
References
- ^ Hamer, F., Hamer, J. The Potter’s Dictionary or Materials and Techniques, fifth ed.; University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004; p. 215
- ^ Ulrich Wietelmann, Richard J. Bauer "Lithium and Lithium Compounds" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2005, Wiley-VCH: Weinheim.
- ^ http://www.figarosensor.com/products/4161Dtl.pdf
- ^ Medical use
- ^ Aysegul, Y., Pauler, D. Perry, F. Arch. Gen. Psych. 2008. 65. 255.
- ^ MDA Research | Lithium Slows ALS Progression In Study
- ^ Ulrich, S. Jour. Tra. Micro. Tech. 1998. 149. 535.
- ^ Simard, M., Gumbiner, B., Lee, A., Lewis, H., and Norman, D. Arch. Int. Med. 1989. 149. 36.
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