From medicine to "new gold", how did lithium make its debut?

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Earth's Gravity

Producer: China Science Expo

Since the beginning of the 21st century, lithium has played an increasingly important role in our lives. Needless to say, many people have become heavy mobile phone users, and charging their phones every day is a basic operation; many people will ride "electric donkeys" to get off work, especially in the south. Whenever the green light comes on, the dense "electric donkeys" like a torrent can scare every northerner who has just arrived in the south; of course, many people will consider electric cars when buying cars, and the power source of these electric cars is also lithium battery power packs.

The "electric donkeys" on the streets of Taiwan, China. You can also experience this feeling in cities such as Guilin, Liuzhou, and Nanning. The feeling of being trapped in the middle of a zebra crossing by a torrent of "electric donkeys" is unforgettable.

(Image source: Veer)

But in fact, in the 19th century and the early 20th century, when lithium was first discovered, it was just an inconspicuous medicinal mineral, and it was the kind of medicine that would poison patients if doctors prescribed it improperly. From medicine to the "new gold" shining in the 21st century, lithium has experienced a story of twists and turns.

Lithium’s debut

In 1800, Brazilian mineralogist José Andrada discovered a beautiful, transparent mineral with a glassy luster while traveling in Sweden. When burned, it would emit a strong crimson flame.

In 1817, Swedish chemist Johan August Afvison continued to study the mineral and detected a new alkaline element similar to potassium and sodium in the mineral, and named it Lithion (English translation of the Greek word λιθoς, meaning "stone"), which is the beginning of the legendary history of lithium. This beautiful mineral was later named petalite.

Petalite

(Image source: Wikipedia)

Lithium emits a purple-red light in fire and is also used in fireworks.

(Image source: Wikipedia)

It was not until 1821 that scientists purified lithium by electrolysis. Lithium is a light (equivalent to the density of pine wood) and soft metal, like sodium (those familiar with junior high school chemistry should know that the properties of the entire alkali metal family are very similar), can be cut with a knife, and the fresh cut surface is the unique silvery white color of metals. It is also easy to react chemically when it comes into contact with water and air, so lithium does not exist in nature, but mostly exists in the form of compounds.

Lithium stored in oil

(Image source: Wikipedia)

Initially, people used this element as a medicine. In experiments in the 1850s, doctors found that lithium could dissolve uric acid crystals separated from the kidneys, so in the mid-19th century, they began to try to make lithium into a medicine for gout patients. At that time, there was a theory that depression and mania might be related to excessive uric acid, so people also began to use lithium to treat these diseases. However, some doctors at that time were not very skilled, and the dosage of lithium preparations was not accurate, which might cause lithium poisoning in patients, so lithium was banned for sale in 1949.

However, since the year it was banned from sale, there have been continuous scientific studies proving that lithium salts can indeed treat mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, and can reduce the risk of suicide in patients to a certain extent. Therefore, in modern times, when treating related diseases, doctors will also prescribe lithium-containing drugs such as lithium carbonate to patients.

Modern lithium carbonate capsules

(Image source: Wikipedia)

Industrial applications, emerging

After being made into medicines, lithium's first large-scale industrial application was in the production of lubricants.

During and after World War II, the use of aircraft increased rapidly. We all know that lubricants are generally needed in aircraft bearings, otherwise the bearings are prone to wear and breakage. However, since World War II, the performance of aircraft has become higher and higher, and the temperature of their bearings has also become higher and higher. Traditional lubricants can no longer meet the needs.

At this time, lithium-based lubricants were developed. They have a much higher melting point than other lubricants and are less corrosive, so they were quickly promoted in the industrial field. Until now, many cars are still using lubricants made of lithium stearate. It is said that even if the car is scrapped, the lubricant can still be used.

Lithium-based lubricant (Image source: Wikipedia)

In addition, lithium is also used in hydrogen bombs; lithium hydroxide (Li-7) can be used as a good coolant in pressurized water reactors; metallic lithium and its hydride can be used as high-energy rocket propellants. The needs of the military and nuclear industries gave rise to the first large-scale industrial production of lithium, making lithium an extremely important strategic material.

Entering into life and gaining a large number of "fans"

Later, lithium production began to shift to civilian use, and scientists continued to find new uses for lithium and lithium compounds.

For example, in the glass and ceramic industries, it can be used as a flux, which can effectively lower the melting point of silicon dioxide and improve the heat resistance and wear resistance of glass and ceramic glazes; in the smelting industry, it can also be used as a flux, and can also be used as an adsorbent and desulfurizer; in the aerospace field, aluminum alloys with added lithium can be lighter and harder... It is precisely because of such a wide range of applications that lithium is called "industrial MSG" and "the metal that drives the world forward."

However, the real large-scale use of lithium and its promotion to a new strategic level will have to wait until the widespread application of lithium-ion batteries.

The research and development of lithium-ion batteries actually began in the 1960s, but it was not until around 2000 that lithium-ion batteries gradually matured. This difficult research process can be written into a book. The opportunity for the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries may still be attributed to the explosive growth of a series of electronic devices such as mobile phones and electric vehicles. But then again, if there were no high-energy-density batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, electronic devices would not have been able to develop so quickly. This can be regarded as a mutual achievement.

Early lithium-ion batteries, such as those used in mobile phones and cameras, were all removable. Now, non-removable batteries in mobile phones have brought about a great development in the power bank industry.

(Image source: Wikipedia)

18650 lithium battery (right), which may be the most popular lithium battery to date. If you disassemble the power pack in an electric car, you will find that it is filled with these cylindrical batteries.

(Image source: Wikipedia)

It is in this context that the importance of lithium to us humans has once again risen to a new level. In the past, we could still live well without lithium, but now we can hardly do anything without it. Therefore, some people have given it many titles, such as "the new gold of the 21st century", "the energy metal of the 21st century", and "the oil of the new energy era".

In short, from industrial production to daily life, the application of lithium is gradually changing our world. We now live in a world that cannot do without lithium.