Lithium



**Table of Conten﻿ ts ** 1! Intro 2! Chem&P﻿hysics  3! Discovery  4! Enviroment  5! Uses  6! Health  7! Economics  8! Fun Facts  9! Sources 





 The atomic symbol for Lithium is Li and the atomic number is 3. There is 1 valence electron and the electron shell configuration is 1s22s1. The atomic weight of Lithium is 6.941amu, the melting point is 179°C, the boiling point is 1317°C, and the specific gravity (density) is 0.534. 

Lithium was discovered in Stockholm (Sweden) in 1817 by Johann A. Arfvedson. The name lithium comes from the Greek word "lithos," meaning stone. 







Lithium compounds, such as lithium hydride or lithium carbonate, may be used in ceramics and glass, and in the production process of aluminum and tritium, and in the manufacturing of greases, rocket propellants, nuclear reactor coolant, alloy hardeners, pharmaceuticals, hydrogenating agents, heat transfer liquids, vitamin A synthesis, silver solders, underwater buoyancy devices, lubricants, and batteries. 

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Lithium, in the pharmaceutical world, is used as the primary treatment for manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder. It is given primarily in its carbonate form, lithium is highlyeffective in dissipating a manic episode and in calming the individual, although its action in this regard may take several weeks. When given on a long-term maintenance basis, lithium can prevent both manic and depressive mood swings or can drastically reduce their severity. It can also suppress the psychotic features sometimes exhibited in individuals with bipolar disorder. The drug’s mode of action is unknown. Side effects of its use include increased urination, tremors, diarrhea, nausea, and drowsiness, among others. 







[|Mii.org]

>A soft, silvery, highly reactive metallic element that is used as a heat transfer medium, in thermonuclear weapons, and in various alloys, ceramics, and optical forms of glass. Any of several salts of lithium, especially lithium carbonate. [|TheFreeDictionary.com]

>Lithium reacts vigorously (but not violently) with water. The density is only about half that of water so it floats on the surface, gently fizzing and giving off hydrogen. It gradually reacts and disappears, forming a colourless solution of lithium hydroxide. The reaction generates heat too slowly and lithium's melting point is too high for it to melt. [|ChemGuide.co.uk]

>Lithium was first discovered as a chemical element in 1817. By the mid-1800s, there was great interest in "urate imbalances", which were thought to explain a variety of diseases, including mania and depression. Around this time, it was discovered that a solution of lithium carbonate could dissolve stones made of urate. The first recorded use of lithium for the treatment of mania, based in part on the urate/lithium connection, was 1871. Use of lithium carbonate (the current pill form of lithium) to prevent depression came in 1886. As the public learned about lithium, great interest in this mineral led to the use of mineral-rich spring waters in spas, baths, and beverages. Because most of these mineral waters actually contained only traces of lithium, the dangers of lithium and higher concentrations were not recognized. When a tablet form was used as a salt substitute in low-sodium diets, there were many reports of severe lithium side effects, and some deaths. Just as the dangers of lithium were becoming apparent, an Australian psychiatrist named John Cade began treating patients with mania using lithium (1948). He too was led to this approach from a focus on lithium and urate. He had injected guinea pigs with lithium urate and found that they became placid, and somewhat tranquilized. Only later did he determined that the calming effect was from lithium, not urate. Many years passed before lithium was in widespread use for the treatment of bipolar disorder. Speculating about why lithium was not immediately adopted by the psychiatric profession, Cade stated that a discovery "made by an unknown psychiatrist with no research training, working in a small chronic hospital with primitive techniques and negligible equipment, was not likely to command attention". However, with careful attention to dosage and blood concentration, the effectiveness of lithium for patients with bipolar disorder was slowly established. it was approved by the FDA for the treatment of mania in 1970. [|PsychEducation.org]

>Credit to the discovery of lithium is generally given to Johann A. Arfvedson in 1817. Chemically, lithium resembles sodium in itsbehavior. Lithium is created by the electrolysis of a mixture of fused lithium and potassium chloride. When expoused to air, lithium will tarnish and corrode rapidly. Lithium must be stored in a liquid form such as naphtha. Lithium ranks thirty-five in order of abundance of the elements in the earth's crust. It does not occur in nature in a free state, but in compounds which are widely distributed. Lithium has many different uses. The metal is a deoxidizer and to remove unwanted gases during the manufacture of nonferrouscastings. Lithium vapor is used to prevent carbon dioxide and oxygen from forming scale in furnaces in heat-treating steel. Some important compounds of lithium include the hydroxide, used for bonding carbon dioxide in the ventilator systems of spacecraft and submarines; and the hydride, used to inflate lifeboats, and its heavy hydrogen equivalent, used in making the hydrogen bomb. One of the most important compounds, (and uses) of lithium is a lithium carbonate, a common mineral used in the treatment of bipolar disorder and some forms of depression. Artists, musicians, and writers have suffered from mood swings caused by bipolar disorder. Many lives are ruined by this disease; and without effective treatment the illness is associated with and increased risk of suicide. Bipolar disorder is also known as manic depressive illness. This is a serious brain disease that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and functioning. It affects approximately 2.3 million adult Americans, which is about 1.2 percent of the population. Men and women are equally open to getting this disease. The disorder typically emerges in adolescence of early adult hood. Cases of this disease occur rairly in childhood. Cycles, or episodes, of depression, mania, or mixed manic and depressive symptoms typically recur and may become more frequent, often disrupting work, school, family, and social life. A variety of medications are used to treat bipolar disorder. Lithium has long been used as a first ine of treatment for the disorder. Approved for the treatment of acute mania in 1970 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), lithium has been an effective mood stabilizing for many people with bipolar disorder. Lithium melts at about 181 degrees Celsius (about 358F) and has a specific gravity of .53. The atomic weight of lithium is 6.941. [|Library.ThinkQuest.org]

>lithium, in pharmacology, drug that is the [|primary treatment] for [|bipolar disorder]. Given primarily in its carbonate form, lithium is highly effective in dissipating a manic episode and in calming the individual, although its action in this regard may take several weeks. When given on a long-term maintenance basis, lithium can prevent both manic and depressive mood swings or can drastically reduce their severity. It can also suppress the psychotic features sometimes exhibited in individuals with bipolar disorder. The drug’s mode of action is unknown. Side effects of its use include increased urination, tremors, diarrhea, nausea, and drowsiness. [|Britannica.com]

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