
Lithium element (Li) is in group 1 and period 2 of a periodic table. Lithium is in the s-block and it is classified as an alkali metal on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to lithium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Lithium element (Information Table)
- Lithium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Lithium
- Properties of Lithium
- Uses of Lithium
Lithium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to lithium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of lithium | Silvery white |
Atomic number of lithium | 3 |
Symbol of lithium | Li |
Atomic mass of lithium | 6.941 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in lithium | Protons: 3, Neutrons: 4, Electrons: 3 |
State of lithium (at STP) | Solid |
Group number of lithium in periodic table | 1 |
Period number of lithium in periodic table | 2 |
Block of lithium in periodic table | s-block |
Category of lithium | Alkali metals |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in lithium | 2, 1 |
Electron configuration of lithium | [He] 2s1 |
Orbital diagram of lithium | ![]() |
Valence electrons in lithium | 1 |
Electronegativity of lithium (on pauling scale) | 0.98 |
Atomic radius of lithium (van der Waals radius) | 182 picometers |
Density of lithium | 0.534 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of lithium | 5.392 eV |
Main isotope of lithium | 7Li |
Melting point of lithium | 453.65 K or 180.5 °C or 356.9 °F |
Boiling point of lithium | 1603 K or 1330 °C or 2426 °F |
Crystal structure of lithium | Body centered cubic (BCC) |
Discovery of lithium | By John August Arfwedson in 1817 |
Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).
Lithium element in Periodic table
The Lithium element (Li) has the atomic number 3 and is located in group 1 and period 2. Lithium is in solid state at STP and it is classified as an alkali metal on the periodic table.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about lithium
Here are a few interesting facts about lithium element.
- Lithium is lighter than water and it floats on water.
- Lithium is reactive to water and it catches fire when it is exposed to water. So you cannot extinguish the fire using water.
- Density of lithium is around half the density of water.
- Lithium is a reactive metal and because of this reason, it is not found in free state. It is always found in a compound form with other elements.
- Lithium is a soft metal and it can be cut using a knife.
- Lithium is generally stored in kerosene or mineral oil because of its high reactivity.
- The lithium metal produces crimson red color flame when it is heated.
Properties of lithium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of lithium.
Physical properties of lithium
- Lithium is a solid but soft metal that has a silvery white appearance.
- The density of lithium is 0.534 g/cm3 which is the least density of all the elements that are solid at room temperature.
- Because of the less density of lithium, it floats on water as well as other mineral oils.
- The melting point and boiling point of lithium metal is 453.65 K and 1603 K respectively.
- Lithium metal is also a good conductor of heat and electricity.
Chemical properties of lithium
- Lithium is a reactive metal and it is always found in a compound form with other elements.
- Due to the high reactivity of lithium metal, its surface gets oxidized easily and a gray layer is formed.
- The outermost orbit of lithium has 1 electron and it loses this electron to form a cation.
- The reaction of lithium with water is less vigorous as compared to other alkali metals.
- Lithium also reacts with halogens to form halides like LiF, LiCl, LiBr etc.
Uses of lithium
Here are some uses of the lithium element.
- The most common use of lithium metal is in manufacturing of batteries that are used in electrical appliances as well as automobiles.
- The lithium oxide is used in preparing flux that is required to reduce the melting point and viscosity of materials.
- Lithium oxides are also used in glazing of ovenware.
- Lithium is used in manufacturing of high temperature lubricating greases.
- Lithium compounds are used as a flux in the sand casting process to reduce veining (veining is a casting defect that appears like a veins which is produced by a molten metal penetration into a sand casting mold).
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