LITHIUM CHLORIDE

Lithium chloride
Lithium chloride Lithium chloride
General
Molecular formula	LiCl
Molar mass	42.39 g/mol
Appearance	White crystalline solid
CAS number	[7447-41-8] (anhydrous) [85144-11-2] (hydrate)
Hydrates	monohydrate, trihydrate
Properties
Density and phase	2.07 g/cm³, solid
Solubility in water	63.7 g/100 ml (0 °C)
In ethanol In acetone	42.4 g/100 ml (25 °C) 4.11 g/100 ml (25 °C)
Melting point	605 °C (878 K)
Boiling point	>1300 °C (>1570 K)
Structure
Coordination geometry	Octahedral
Crystal structureNaCl
Dipole moment	7.13 D (gas)
Hazards
MSDS	External MSDS
Main hazards	Irritant
R/S statement	R: 22-36/37/38 S: 26-36/37/39
RTECS number	OJ5950000 (anhydrous)
Supplementary data page
Structure & properties	''n'', ''εr'', etc.
Thermodynamic data	Phase behaviour Solid, liquid, gas
Spectral data	UV, IR, NMR, MS
Related compounds
Other anions	lithium fluoridelithium bromidelithium iodide
Other cations	sodium chloridemagnesium chloride
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25°C, 100 kPa)

'Lithium chloride', LiCl, behaves as a fairly typical ionic compound, although the Li⁺ ion is very small. The salt is hygroscopic and highly soluble in water, and is highly polar. It is more soluble in polar organic solvents such as methanol and acetone than is sodium chloride or potassium chloride.

Contents

Chemical properties

Preparation

Uses

Precautions

References

External links

Chemical properties

Lithium chloride can react as a source of chloride ion. As with any other soluble ionic chloride, it will precipitate insoluble chlorides when added to a solution of an appropriate metal salt such as lead(II) nitrate:
2 LiCl(aq) + Pb(NO₃)₂(aq) → PbCl₂(s) + 2 LiNO₃(aq)
The Li⁺ ion acts as a weak Lewis acid under certain circumstances; for example one mole of lithium chloride is capable of absorbing up to four moles of ammonia.

Solubility of LiCl in various solvents (g LiCl / 100g of solvent at 25° C)
H2O	55
Liquid ammonia	3.02
Liquid sulfur dioxide	0.012
Methanol	21 - 41
Formic acid	27.5
Sulfolane	1.5
Acetonitrile	0.14
Acetone	0.83
Formamide	28.2
Dimethylformamide	11 - 28
Reference: Burgess, J. ''Metal Ions in Solution'' (Ellis Horwood, New York, 1978) ISBN 0-85312-027-7

Preparation

Lithium chloride may be prepared most simply by reaction of lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate with hydrochloric acid. It may also be prepared by the highly exothermic reaction of lithium metal with either chlorine or anhydrous hydrogen chloride gas. Anhydrous LiCl is prepared from the hydrate by gently heating under an atmosphere of hydrogen chloride, used to prevent hydrolysis.

Uses

Lithium chloride is used for the production of lithium metal, by electrolysis of a LiCl/KCl melt at 450 °C. LiCl is also used as a brazing flux for aluminium in automobile parts. It can be used to improve the efficiency of the Stille reaction. Its desiccant properties can be used to generate potable water by absorbing moisture from the air, which is then released by heating the salt. For a short time in the 1940s lithium chloride was manufactured as a substitute for salt, but this was prohibited after the toxic effects of the compound were recognised.^[1]
[2] [1]

Precautions

Irritant. Avoid swallowing. Ingestion of this compound can result in poisoning or effects on the central nervous system due to its lithium content; see lithium pharmacology for more details.

References

# ''Handbook of Chemistry and Physics'', 71st edition, CRC Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1990.
# N. N. Greenwood, A. Earnshaw, ''Chemistry of the Elements'', 2nd ed., Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK, 1997.
# H. Nechamkin, ''The Chemistry of the Elements'', McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968.
1. Use of lithium salts as a substitute for sodium chloride., Talbott J. H., , , Arch Med Interna., 1950
2. Lithium Chloride as a Substitute for Sodium Chloride in the Diet, L. W. Hanlon, M. Romaine, F. J. Gilroy., , , Journal of the American Medical Association, 1949

External links