Lithium oxide formula, properties, risks and uses

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Egbert Haynes
Lithium oxide formula, properties, risks and uses

The lithium oxide It is an inorganic chemical compound of the formula LitwoOr that is formed along with small amounts of lithium peroxide when lithium metal burns in air and combines with oxygen..

Until the 1990s, the metal and lithium market was dominated by US production from mineral deposits, but by the early 21st century most production was derived from non-US sources; Australia, Chile and Portugal were the most important suppliers in the world. Bolivia has half of the lithium deposits in the world, but it is not a large producer.

Lithium oxide structure

The most important commercial form is lithium carbonate, LitwoCO3, produced from minerals or brines by several different processes.

When lithium is burned in air, the main product is the white oxide of lithium oxide, LitwoO. In addition, some lithium peroxide is produced, LitwoORtwo, also white.

It can also be done through the thermal decomposition of lithium hydroxide, LiOH, or lithium peroxide, Li2O2.

4Li (s) + Otwo(g) → 2LitwoYou)

2LiOH (s) + heat → LitwoO (s) + HtwoO (g)

2LitwoORtwo(s) + heat → 2LitwoO (s) + Otwo(g)

Physical and chemical properties

Lithium oxide is a white solid known as lithia that lacks aroma and has a salty taste. Its appearance is shown in figure 2 (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2017).

Figure 2: appearance of lithium oxide

Lithium oxide are crystals with antiflorite geometry similar to sodium chloride (face-centered cubic). Its crystalline structure is presented in figure 3 (Mark Winter [The University of Sheffield and WebElements Ltd, 2016).

Figure 3: crystalline structure of lithium oxide.

Its molecular weight is 29.88 g / mol, its density is 2.013 g / mL, and its melting and boiling points are 1438 ºC and 2066 ºC respectively. The compound is very soluble in water, alcohol, ether, pyridine and nitrobenzene (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015).

Lithium oxide reacts easily with water vapor to form hydroxide, and with carbon dioxide to form carbonate; therefore, it must be stored and handled in a clean and dry atmosphere..

Oxide compounds do not conduct electricity. However, certain structured oxides of perovskite are electronic conductors that find application in the cathode of solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen generation systems..

They are compounds that contain at least one oxygen anion and one metal cation (American Elements, S.F.).

Reactivity and hazards

Lithium oxide is a stable compound incompatible with strong acids, water, and carbon dioxide. To our knowledge, the chemical, physical and toxicological properties of lithium oxide have not been thoroughly investigated and reported..

The toxicity of lithium compounds is a function of their solubility in water. The lithium ion has central nervous system toxicity. The compound is highly corrosive and irritant if it comes into contact with the eyes, the skin, when inhaled or ingested (ESPI METALS, 1993).

In case of contact with the eyes, check if you are wearing contact lenses and remove them immediately. Eyes should be flushed with running water for at least 15 minutes, keeping the eyelids open. Cold water can be used. Eye ointment should not be used.

If the chemical comes into contact with clothing, remove it as quickly as possible, protecting your own hands and body. Place the victim under a safety shower.

If the chemical accumulates on the exposed skin of the victim, such as hands, the contaminated skin is gently and carefully washed with running water and non-abrasive soap. Cold water can be used. If irritation persists, seek medical attention. Wash the contaminated clothing before using it again.

In case of inhalation, the victim should be allowed to rest in a well-ventilated area. If inhalation is severe, the victim should be evacuated to a safe area as soon as possible..

Loosen tight clothing such as a shirt collar, belt, or tie. If the victim finds it difficult to breathe, oxygen should be administered. If the victim is not breathing, a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is performed.

Always keeping in mind that it may be dangerous for the person providing aid to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when the inhaled material is toxic, infectious, or corrosive..

In all cases, immediate medical attention should be sought (SIGMA-ALDRICH, 2010).

Applications

Lithium oxide is used as a flux in ceramic glazes, and creates blues with copper and pinks with cobalt. Lithium oxide reacts with water and vapor to form lithium hydroxide and must be isolated from them.

Lithium oxide (LitwoO) with its high tritium potential is an attractive candidate for the solid culture material of a DT fusion power plant, due to its high density of lithium atoms (compared to other lithium or lithium metal ceramics) and its conductivity relatively high thermal (LITHIUM OXIDE (Li2O), SF).

LitwoOr it will be exposed to high temperatures under neutron irradiation during melting blanket operation. Under these circumstances, a large number of irradiation defects will occur in LitwoOr, such as helium-induced swelling, relatively high thermal expansion, grain growth, LiOH (T) formation and precipitation at low temperatures and LiOH (T) mass transport at high temperatures.

Furthermore, the LitwoOr it will be subjected to stresses arising from differences in thermal expansion between LitwoOr and structural materials. These characteristics of LitwoOr lead to challenging engineering problems in both blanket manufacturing and design.

One possible new use is as a replacement for lithium cobalt oxide as the cathode in lithium-ion batteries used to power electronic devices from mobile phones to laptops as well as battery-powered cars (Reade International Corp, 2016)..

References

  1. Mark Winter [The University of Sheffield and WebElements Ltd. (2016). webelements. Taken from Lithium: dilithium oxide webelements.com.
  2. American Elements. (S.F.). Lithium Oxide. Taken from americanelements americanelements.com.
  3. ESPI METALS. (1993, June). Lithium Oxide. Taken from espimetals espimetals.com.
  4. LITHIUM OXIDE (Li2O). (S.F.). Taken from ferp.ucsd.edu ferp.ucsd.edu.
  5. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2017, June 24). PubChem Compound Database; CID = 166630. Taken from PubChem pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  6. Reade International Corp. (2016). Lithium Oxide Powder (Li2O). Taken from reade reade.com
  7. Royal Society of Chemistry. (2015). Lithium oxide.Taken from chemspiderchemspider.com.
  8. SIGMA-ALDRICH. (2010). Material Safety Data Sheet Lithium oxide. Taken from chemblink chemblink.com.

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