Lithium-Ion Batteries

Li Lithium

The Numbers:

Under normal conditions my element is a solid at room temperature and is a metal. The melting point of Lithium is 180.50 degrees Celsius and the boiling point is 1342 degrees Celsius. The atomic number of Lithium is 3 and the atomic mass is 6.94.

Appearance:

Lithium is a soft silvery metal with the lowest density of all metal and reacts vigorously with water.

History:

Lithium was discovered on the Swedish island of Utö by the Brazilian, Jozé Bonifácio de Andralda e Silva in the 1790s. It was observed to give an intense crimson flame when thrown onto a fire. It was not until 1855 that the German chemist Robert Bunsen and the British chemist Augustus Matthiessen obtained it in bulk by the electrolysis of molten lithium chloride.

Uses:

Lithium can be used for rechargeable batteries for cell phones and laptops, and they may soon power your car. They are also used for non-rechargeable batteries for things like heart pacemakers, toys, and clocks. The quality of the element that make it useful for this purpose is the fact that Lithium is the third smallest element after hydrogen and helium, so you can store more Lithium in a battery. Lithium is also made into alloys with aluminum and magnesium. Improving their strength and making them lighter. The quality of the element makes it useful for this purpose is because it is the lightest metal.

Picture Descriptions:

In this image it shows the atomic number of Lithium as well as the atomic mass, symbol, and name of the element.

In this picture we can see that Lithium can be cut by a knife just like a loaf of bread.

Bibliography:

• American Physical Society. Physics Central: Learn How Your World Works. Lithium-ion Batteries. Retrieved February 25, 2018.  http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/action/lithium.cfm

• Royal Society of Chemistry 2017. Periodic Table: Lithium. Retrieved February 25, 2018. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/3/lithium