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href="../zinc/chemistry.html">Zinc</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item d"><a class="pure-menu-link d" href="../zirconium/chemistry.html">Zirconium</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>  <div class="pure-g"> <div class="pure-u-1"> <div class="pure-menu pure-menu-open pure-menu-horizontal centre" role="navigation" style="background: #000 url(../_media/elements/discharge/Li.png) repeat-y center; background-size:contain;"> <span><a class="pure-menu-heading" href="https://winter.group.shef.ac.uk/webelements/"><img height="30" src="../_media/icons/logo_60.png" alt="WebElements logo"></a> <a class="white" href="./">Lithium - <sub>3</sub>Li</a>  <audio id="myAudio_f"> <source src="../_media/elements/snds_f/Li.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">Your user agent does not support the HTML5 Audio element. </audio> <button class="pure-button s_button" style=" display: inline;" type="button" onclick="audf_play_pause()"> 🔊  </button> <script> function audf_play_pause() { var myAudiof = document.getElementById("myAudio_f"); if (myAudiof.paused) { myAudiof.play(); } else { myAudiof.pause(); }} </script></span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="main">  <div class="pure-u-1 pure-u-sm-1-1"> <div class="pure-menu pure-menu-horizontal pure-menu-scrollable"> <a href="#" class="pure-menu-link pure-menu-heading">▸▸</a> <ul class="pure-menu-list"> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇬🇧 Lithium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇺🇦 Літій</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇨🇳 鋰</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇳🇱 Lithium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇫🇷 Lithium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇩🇪 Lithium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇮🇱 ליתיום</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇮🇹 Litio</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇯🇵 リチウム</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇵🇹 Lítio</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇪🇸 Litio</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇸🇪 Litium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇷🇺 Литий</li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="pure-g"> <div class="pure-u-1 pure-u-sm-1-1"> <div class="google_navbar_positioning"> <form action="https://www.google.com" id="cse-search-box"> <div> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="partner-pub-9334432533380510:6223510783"> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="UTF-8"> <input type="text" name="q" size="28"> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search"> </div> </form> <script> </script> </div> </div> </div> <main> <div class="pure-g"> <div class="pure-u-1 pure-u-sm-1-1"> <h1 class="s">Lithium - <sub><small>3</small></sub>Li: reactions of elements</h1> <div class="pure-menu pure-menu-horizontal pure-menu-scrollable"> <ul class="pure-menu-list z_menu"> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a href="../lithium/" class="pure-menu-link">▸▸ Li Essentials</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/physics.html">Physical properties</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/atoms.html">Electron shell data</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/atom_sizes.html">Atom sizes</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/electronegativity.html">Electronegativity</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/isotopes.html" >Isotopes and NMR</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/crystal_structure.html">Crystal structure</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/thermochemistry.html">Thermochemistry</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/history.html">History</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/uses.html">Uses</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/geology.html">Geology</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/biology.html">Biology</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/compounds.html">Binary compounds</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/compound_properties.html" >Compound properties</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/chemistry.html">Element reactions</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../lithium/contents.html">List all Li properties</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <h2 class="s">Reaction of lithium with air</h2> <p class="p_first">Lithium metal is quite easily cut with a knife. The result is a shiny silvery surface but this soon tarnishes because of reaction with oxygen and moisture from the air. When lithium is burned in air, the main product is the white oxide lithium oxide, Li<sub>2</sub>O. Some lithium peroxide, Li<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, also white, is also produced. </p> <p class="equation">4Li(s) + O<sub>2</sub>(g) → 2Li<sub>2</sub>O(s)</p> <p class="equation">2Li(s) + O<sub>2</sub>(g) → 2Li<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>(s)</p> <p>Lithium also reacts with nitrogen, N<sub>2</sub>, to form lithium nitride, Li<sub>3</sub>N. None of the other Gruop 1 elements do anything similar, but magnesium (Gruop 2) similarly forms a nitride.</p> <p>6Li(s) + N<sub>2</sub>(g) → 2Li<sub>3</sub>N(s)</p> <h2 class="s">Reaction of lithium with water</h2> <p class="p_first">Lithium metals reacts slowly with water to form a colourless solution of lithium hydroxide (LiOH) and hydrogen gas (H<sub>2</sub>). The resulting solution is basic because of the dissolved hydroxide. The reaction is exothermic, but the reaction is slower than that of sodium (immediately below lithium in the periodic table).</p> <p class="equation">2Li(s) + 2H<sub>2</sub>O → 2LiOH(aq) + H<sub>2</sub>(g)</p> <h2 class="s">Reaction of lithium with the halogens</h2> <p class="p_first">Lithium metal reacts vigorously with all the halogens to form lithium halides. So, it reacts with fluorine, F<sub>2</sub>, chlorine, Cl<sub>2</sub>, bromine, I<sub>2</sub>, and iodine, I<sub>2</sub>, to form respectively lithium(I) fluoride, LiF, lithium(I) chloride, LiCl, lithium(I) bromide, LiBr, and lithium(I) iodide, LiI.</p> <p class="equation">2Li(s) + F<sub>2</sub>(g) → LiF(s)</p> <p class="equation">2Li(s) + Cl<sub>2</sub>(g) → LiCl(s)</p> <p>2Li(s) + Br<sub>2</sub>(g) → LiBr(s)</p> <p>2Li(s) + I<sub>2</sub>(g) → LiI(s)</p> <h2 class="s">Reaction of lithium with acids</h2> <p class="p_first">Lithium metal dissolves readily in dilute sulphuric acid to form solutions containing the aquated Li(I) ion together with hydrogen gas, H<sub>2</sub>.</p> <p class="equation">2Li(s) + H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>(aq) → 2Li<sup>+</sup>(aq) + SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>(aq) + H<sub>2</sub>(g)</p> <h2 class="s">Reaction of lithium with bases</h2> <p class="p_first">Lithium metals reacts slowly with water to form a colourless solution of basic lithium hydroxide (LiOH) and hydrogen gas (H<sub>2</sub>). The reaction continues even when the solution becomes basic. The resulting solution is basic because of the dissolved hydroxide. The reaction is exothermic, but the reaction is slower than that of sodium (immediately below lithium in the periodic table). As the reaction continues, the concentration of the hydroxide increases.</p> <p class="equation">2Li(s) + 2H<sub>2</sub>O → 2LiOH(aq) + H<sub>2</sub>(g)</p> </main> <div id="footer"> <footer> <div class="footer"> <div class="pure-g"> <div class="pure-u-1-2 pure-u-sm-1-2 pure-u-lg-1-4 pure-menu custom-restricted-width"> <ul class="pure-menu-list"> <li class="pure-menu-heading footer_h">Key properties</li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/periodicity/eneg_pauling/">Electronegativity </a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/periodicity/melting_point/">Melting point</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/periodicity/density/">Density </a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/periodicity/molar_volume/">Molar volume</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/periodicity/ionis_energy_1/">Ionization energy (1st)</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/periodicity/covalent_radius/">Covalent radius</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/periodicity/metallic_radius/">Metallic radius</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/periodicity/abund_crust/">Abundance: earth's crust</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="pure-u-1-2 pure-u-sm-1-2 pure-u-lg-1-4 pure-menu custom-restricted-width"> <ul class="pure-menu-list"> <li class="pure-menu-heading footer_h">Shop</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">Sorry, shop closed</li> </ul> </div> <div class="pure-u-1-2 pure-u-sm-1-2 pure-u-lg-1-4 pure-menu custom-restricted-width"> <ul class="pure-menu-list"> <li class="pure-menu-heading footer_h">Social</li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/webelements.periodic.table">Facebook</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://twitter.com/periodic_table">Twitter</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.pinterest.com/periodictable/">Pinterest</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="pure-u-1-2 pure-u-sm-1-2 pure-u-lg-1-4 pure-menu custom-restricted-width"> <ul class="pure-menu-list"> <li class="pure-menu-heading footer_h">Administration</li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/nexus/your-privacy/" title="Your privacy">Privacy</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/nexus/about-webelements/" title="About WebElements">About</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/nexus/webelements-and-copyright/" title="Copyright information about WebElements">Copyright</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="https://www.webelements.com/nexus/acknowledgements/" title="Acknowledgements">Thanks...</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <address> <p> <a href="https://www.webelements.com/"><img class="logo_m" src="../_media/icons/logo_60.png" alt="WebElements home" /></a><br /> <strong>WebElements:</strong> THE periodic table on the WWW [<a href="https://www.webelements.com/">www.webelements.com</a>]<br /> <a href="https://www.webelements.com/nexus/webelements-and-copyright/">Copyright </a> 1993-2024 <a href="https://winter.group.shef.ac.uk/">Mark Winter</a> [ <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry/">The University of Sheffield </a> and WebElements Ltd, UK]. 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