The lithium carbonate is an inorganic solid formed by two lithium Li cations+ and a carbonate anion CO3two-. Its chemical formula is LitwoCO3. The LitwoCO3 is a white crystalline solid that can be obtained by the reaction between lithium hydroxide and carbon dioxide.
Lithium carbonate has a very high melting point, which is why it is used in the preparation of glasses, ceramics and porcelains. It has a wide variety of uses, such as in rechargeable lithium batteries, in the preparation of other lithium compounds, in welding electrodes and in paints and varnishes..
Li is also usedtwoCO3 in cement mixes for fast setting and aluminum production.
One of its most important uses is in the treatment of some mental illnesses such as depression and excessively aggressive behaviors, among other conditions..
However, its use as a medicine must be duly controlled by medical specialists since people treated with LitwoCO3 may suffer harmful effects on your health, such as hypothyroidism (reduced function of the thyroid gland).
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Lithium carbonate is made up of two lithium Li cations+ and a carbonate anion CO3two-.
The electron configuration of lithium in oxidation state +1 is 1stwo 2s0, as it has lost the electron of the last shell, thus being more stable. The carbonate ion CO3two- has a flat structure.
Negative charges are equally distributed among the three oxygen atoms of the carbonate ion CO3two-.
-Lithium carbonate
-Dilithium carbonate
White crystalline solid with monoclinic structure
73.9 g / mol
723 ºC
It decomposes at 1300 ºC.
2.11 g / cm3
Slightly soluble in water: 1.31% by weight at 20 ºC. Its solubility in water decreases with increasing temperature. It is soluble in dilute acids. It is insoluble in alcohol and acetone.
Solutions in water are alkaline, have a pH greater than 7.
The LitwoCO3 hydrolyzes in aqueous solution generating a basic solution. The small proportion of the compound that is solubilized in water leaves the carbonate anion CO free.3two-.
The carbonate anion CO3two- free in aqueous solution takes a proton to form the bicarbonate anion HCO3-, as can be seen in the following reaction:
CO3two- + HtwoO → HCO3- + Oh-
The presence of OH ions- is what makes the solution basic.
Traces of lithium ion are normally present in animal and human tissues, but no natural physiological role of this ion is known so far..
In the human organism the LitwoCO3 ingested as a drug, it acts on a variety of signaling mechanisms in neurons and other cells. This results from the substitution of cations such as sodium and potassium.
The incorporation of lithium ion into the structure of the cell membrane can alter the response to hormones and the coupling of the cell with energy processes.
In this way, lithium modifies several cellular processes including metabolism..
Through modifying the way cells function, LitwoCO3 can act on the communication mechanisms of neurons in the brain.
The LitwoCO3 can be obtained by the reaction of lithium hydroxide LiOH with carbon dioxide COtwo, as shown below:
2 LiOH + COtwo → LitwoCO3 + HtwoOR
It is commercially produced from lithium-containing minerals such as spodumene and lepidolite. These minerals are treated at high temperatures with certain sulfate salts or with alkaline compounds to obtain lithium salts..
The lithium salts obtained are purified with water or acid solutions and then treated with carbonates to form LitwoCO3.
However, the LitwoCO3 Achieved in this way, it is contaminated with sulfates or chlorides of calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, potassium, etc. so it requires further purification.
It is used as an antidepressant, antimanic agent, in the treatment of aggressive-impulsive behaviors and for bipolar disorders (people who change their mood suddenly without any cause, becoming violent).
Doctors have observed that its administration leads to a decrease in the intensity and frequency of severe periods of depression and manic episodes..
It is used alone, that is, without any added compound, in the maintenance therapy of unipolar depression and for schizoaffective disorder. It also serves to increase the antidepressant effect of other medications.
Although it has been used to treat children with apparent symptoms of bipolar disorder and hyperactivity with neurotic or aggressive components, it has not been effective in all cases..
It is used to reduce the frequency of severe, recurrent and chronic headaches.
It is used to reduce the incidence of infection in patients with neutropenia induced by chemotherapy or for other reasons. Neutropenia is a decrease in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that helps fight infections in the body.
It has been used as a thyroid enzyme inhibitor for the treatment of hyperthyroidism, but it is not the preferred treatment due to its adverse effects.
It is used in the form of tablets or capsules of LitwoCO3. Also in slow release tablets with lithium citrate. Li is preferredtwoCO3 because it does not irritate the throat when swallowed, as is the case with other lithium salts.
The LitwoCO3 may have a harmful effect on the thyroid and kidneys, so the function of these organs should be monitored before and during treatment with this compound..
The LitwoCO3 it can be toxic at concentrations very close to those used in medical treatments, so a continuous review of its values in blood serum is required.
Symptoms of Li poisoningtwoCO3 are tremors, muscle spasms, muscle weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness or ataxia (impaired muscle coordination), among others.
When starting therapy with LitwoCO3 Symptoms such as tremors, headaches, and nausea may also occur. But these tend to disappear as the medication continues..
Most people treated can also develop leukocytosis (increased number of white blood cells), but this is reversible..
People who are being medicated with LitwoCO3 they should not drive vehicles or operate machinery, because physical coordination and the ability to perform activities that require alertness decrease.
It should not be used in children under 12 years of age, as it can interfere with the formation of bones and their density, since it alters the concentrations of a thyroid hormone. It also tends to take the place of calcium in the bones.
They should not be treated with LitwoCO3 people with cardiovascular, kidney, or thyroid disease. Neither in severely dehydrated patients.
It should not be administered to pregnant women especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Lithium crosses the placenta and can easily reach the fetus with possible teratogenic effects, that is, it can cause abnormalities or malformations in the unborn baby..
Elderly people requiring treatment with LitwoCO3 should be treated with great care and with doses lower than those of young adults, as they can develop hypothyroid disease.
The LitwoCO3 high purity is widely used in the manufacture of rechargeable lithium batteries.
Used in molten carbonate fuel cells.
It is used in the manufacture of electrical porcelain, which is a type of electrically insulating porcelain. It is also used in the production of glaze on ceramics.
It allows to prepare ceramics with a low coefficient of expansion, that is, it expands very little with increasing temperature, so the ceramic can be used in a higher temperature range.
Other uses are as a catalyst, in the manufacture of other lithium compounds, as coating for welding electrodes, in luminescent paint formulas, varnishes and colorants, as well as in the electrolytic production of aluminum..
It is useful to generate a faster setting of the cement and is added to the glue of tiles so that they can be fixed in a short time.
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