He Lithium oxide Is an inorganic chemical compound of formula Li 2 Or it forms along with small amounts of lithium peroxide when the lithium metal burns in the air and combines with oxygen.
Until the 1990s, the metal and lithium market was dominated by US production from mineral deposits, but at the beginning of the 21st century most of the 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 great producer.
Lithium oxide structure
The most important commercial form is lithium carbonate, Li 2 CO 3 , Produced from minerals or brines by several different processes.
When lithium is burned in the air, the main product is the white oxide of lithium oxide, Li 2 O. In addition, some lithium peroxide is produced, Li 2 OR 2 , Also white.
It can also be made through thermal decomposition of lithium hydroxide, LiOH, or lithium peroxide, Li 2 O 2
4Li (s) + O 2 (G) → 2Li 2 You)
2LiOH (s) + heat → Li 2 The + H 2 O (g)
2Li 2 OR 2 (S) + heat → 2Li 2 The + O 2 (G)
Physical and chemical properties
Lithium oxide is a white solid known as lithia that lacks flavor and a salty taste. Their 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 that of sodium chloride (cubic centered on the faces). Its crystal structure is presented in Figure 3 (Mark Winter [The University of Sheffield and WebElements Ltd, 2016]).
Figure 3: crystal structure of lithium oxide.
Its molecular weight is 29.88 g / mol, its density is 2.013 g / mL and the melting and boiling points are 1438 ° C and 2066 ° C respectively. The compound is very soluble in water, alcohol, ether, pyridine and nitrobenzene (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015).
Lithium oxide readily reacts 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 lead to electricity. However, certain perovskite structured oxides are electronically conductive which find application in the cathode of solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen generation systems.
They are compounds containing 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. Lithium ion has toxicity in the Central Nervous System . The compound is highly corrosive irritant if it comes in contact with the eyes, the skin, when being inhaled or ingested (ESPI METALS, 1993).
In case of contact with eyes, check for wearing contact lenses and remove them immediately. Flush eyes with running water for at least 15 minutes, keeping 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 builds up on the victim's exposed skin, such as the hands, gently and thoroughly wash contaminated skin 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 stand in a well-ventilated area. If the inhalation is severe, the victim should be evacuated to a safe area as soon as possible.
Loosen tight clothing such as a shirt collar, belts, or tie. If it is difficult for the victim to breathe, oxygen should be administered. If the victim is not breathing, a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is performed.
Always taking into account that it can be dangerous for the person providing help 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 enamels, and creates blue with copper and pink with cobalt. Lithium oxide reacts with water and vapor, forming lithium hydroxide and must be isolated from them.
Lithium oxide (Li 2 O) with its high tritium potential is an attractive candidate for the solid culture material of a DT fusion power plant because of its high lithium atom density (compared to other lithium or lithium metal ceramics) and its conductivity (LITHIUM OXIDE (Li2O), SF).
Li 2 Or it will be exposed to high temperatures under neutron irradiation during the operation of melting blankets. In these circumstances, a large number of irradiation defects will occur in Li 2 O, such as helium induced swelling, relatively high thermal expansion, grain growth, LiOH (T) formation and low temperature precipitation and mass transport of LiOH (T) at high temperatures.
In addition, the Li 2 Or it will be subject to tensions arising from the differences in thermal expansion between Li 2 O and structural materials. These characteristics of Li 2 Or they lead to challenging engineering problems in both fabrication and blanket design.
One possible new use is as a replacement for cobalt and lithium 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
- Mark Winter [The University of Sheffield and WebElements Ltd. (2016). Webelements . Taken from Lithium: dilithium oxide webelements.com.
- American Elements. (S.F.). Lithium Oxide . Taken from americanelements americanelements.com.
- ESPI METALS. (1993, June). Lithium Oxide . Taken from espimetals espimetals.com.
- LITHIUM OXIDE (Li2O) . (S.F.). Taken from ferp.ucsd.edu ferp.ucsd.edu.
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2017, June 24). PubChem Compound Database; CID = 166630 . Taken from PubChem pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- Reade International Corp. (2016). Lithium Oxide Powder (Li2O) . Taken from reade.com
- Royal Society of Chemistry. (2015). Lithium oxide .Learn of chemspiderchemspider.com.
- SIGMA-ALDRICH. (2010). Material Safety Data Sheet Lithium oxide . Taken from chemblink chemblink.com.