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Under standard conditions, lithium is the densest metal known.
Answer: False
Explanation: Lithium is, in fact, the least dense metal and the least dense solid element under standard conditions.
Lithium has the highest melting and boiling points among all alkali metals.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium possesses the highest melting and boiling points among all alkali metals.
Lithium's high coefficient of thermal expansion means it expands significantly when heated.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium's high coefficient of thermal expansion indicates that it expands considerably when heated.
Lithium becomes superconductive only at extremely high pressures, exceeding 20 gigapascals.
Answer: False
Explanation: This statement is false; lithium becomes superconductive at very low temperatures (below 400 microkelvins) at standard pressure, in addition to becoming superconductive at higher temperatures under extremely high pressures.
Lithium has a high mass specific heat capacity, making it efficient for heat transfer applications.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium possesses the highest mass specific heat capacity of all solids, enabling it to absorb substantial heat with minimal temperature increase, thus making it efficient for heat transfer applications.
Lithium's high specific heat capacity means it requires a significant amount of energy to change its temperature.
Answer: True
Explanation: Due to its high specific heat capacity, lithium requires a substantial amount of energy to undergo a temperature change, making it effective for thermal management.
What is the chemical symbol and atomic number for lithium?
Answer: Li, 3
Explanation: The chemical symbol for lithium is Li, and its atomic number is 3.
How does lithium's density compare to other elements under standard conditions?
Answer: It is the least dense solid element.
Explanation: Under standard conditions, lithium is characterized as the least dense metal and the least dense solid element.
Compared to other alkali metals, lithium exhibits the:
Answer: Highest melting point and boiling point.
Explanation: Compared to other alkali metals, lithium possesses the highest melting and boiling points.
What property of lithium makes it valuable for heat transfer applications?
Answer: Its high mass specific heat capacity.
Explanation: Lithium's high specific heat capacity makes it valuable for heat transfer applications as it allows for significant heat absorption with minimal temperature variation.
Lithium is the most reactive alkali metal due to its valence electron being far from the nucleus.
Answer: False
Explanation: Lithium is the least reactive among the alkali metals because its valence electron is closer to the nucleus than those of heavier alkali metals, resulting in a stronger attraction.
Lithium metal is highly reactive and flammable, requiring storage in inert conditions.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium metal is indeed highly reactive and flammable, requiring storage in inert conditions to prevent reactions with atmospheric components like air and moisture.
When exposed to air, lithium forms a dull silvery-gray surface followed by a black tarnish primarily composed of lithium oxide and hydroxide.
Answer: True
Explanation: Upon exposure to air, lithium tarnishes to a dull silvery-gray, then a black layer primarily composed of lithium oxide, lithium hydroxide, and lithium nitride, rather than lithium chloride.
According to GHS labeling, lithium metal is classified as non-hazardous and safe to handle without precautions.
Answer: False
Explanation: This statement is incorrect. Lithium metal is classified as hazardous under GHS, carrying hazard statements such as H260 (releases flammable gases upon contact with water) and H314 (causes severe skin burns and eye damage), necessitating careful handling.
What property makes lithium the least reactive among the alkali metals?
Answer: Its valence electron is closer to the nucleus than heavier alkali metals.
Explanation: Lithium's reduced reactivity relative to other alkali metals stems from its valence electron being positioned closer to the nucleus, resulting in a stronger electrostatic attraction.
Which compounds are primarily formed when lithium corrodes in air?
Answer: Lithium oxide, lithium hydroxide, and lithium nitride.
Explanation: When lithium corrodes in air, it primarily forms lithium oxide, along with lithium hydroxide and lithium nitride due to atmospheric moisture and nitrogen.
Lithium metal is classified under GHS with hazard statement H260, indicating that it:
Answer: Releases flammable gases upon contact with water.
Explanation: Hazard statement H260 under the GHS classification for lithium metal signifies that it releases flammable gases upon contact with water.
How does lithium's interaction with nitrogen differ from that of most other alkali metals?
Answer: Lithium readily reacts with nitrogen to form lithium nitride.
Explanation: Lithium uniquely reacts readily with nitrogen gas under normal conditions to form lithium nitride, a behavior not typically observed with other alkali metals.
What is the significance of lithium's diagonal relationship with magnesium?
Answer: They share similar chemical properties due to comparable atomic and ionic radii.
Explanation: The diagonal relationship between lithium and magnesium signifies shared chemical properties, primarily attributed to their comparable atomic and ionic radii, leading to analogous chemical behaviors.
Lithium-7 is the most abundant stable isotope of lithium.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium-7 is the most abundant stable isotope of lithium, comprising approximately 95.15% of naturally occurring lithium, while Lithium-6 constitutes the remaining portion.
The stable isotopes of lithium have anomalously low nuclear binding energies per nucleon compared to neighboring elements.
Answer: True
Explanation: The stable isotopes of lithium exhibit anomalously low nuclear binding energies per nucleon relative to adjacent elements, a factor contributing to their relative instability and scarcity.
In fusion power plants, lithium-6 is primarily intended for breeding tritium, not for absorbing excess neutrons.
Answer: True
Explanation: In the context of fusion power plants, lithium-6 serves the critical function of breeding tritium, a key fuel component, through neutron reactions.
Which isotope of lithium is more abundant in nature?
Answer: Lithium-7
Explanation: Lithium-7 is the more abundant stable isotope of lithium found in nature, constituting approximately 95.15% of the natural element.
In nuclear fusion power plants, lithium-6 is intended to serve what primary purpose?
Answer: To breed tritium, a component of the fusion fuel.
Explanation: In nuclear fusion power plants, lithium-6 is intended to breed tritium, a crucial component of the fusion fuel, through neutron reactions.
The first fully artificial nuclear reaction, achieved by Cockcroft and Walton, involved bombarding which element with protons?
Answer: Lithium-7
Explanation: The first fully artificial nuclear reaction, accomplished by Cockcroft and Walton in 1932, involved bombarding lithium-7 with protons.
Lithium does not occur freely in nature as a pure element because of its high reactivity.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium does not occur freely in nature as a pure element because of its inherent high reactivity.
Lithium is primarily found in Earth's crust within pegmatitic minerals and lithium-rich brines.
Answer: True
Explanation: The principal terrestrial sources of lithium are pegmatitic minerals and lithium-rich brines found in salt flats and underground deposits.
Environmental concerns associated with lithium extraction encompass water pollution and ecosystem degradation.
Answer: True
Explanation: Environmental concerns pertinent to lithium extraction include the potential for water pollution from mining activities and solvents, alongside broader ecosystem degradation.
Brines found in salt flats and underground deposits are the dominant source for commercial lithium extraction.
Answer: True
Explanation: Commercial lithium extraction predominantly relies on brines sourced from salt flats and underground deposits, which have become the dominant extraction method.
Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies aim to decrease the environmental impact of brine evaporation.
Answer: True
Explanation: Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies are designed to mitigate the environmental impact associated with traditional brine evaporation methods, promoting a more sustainable extraction process.
Lithium does not occur freely in nature in its elemental form due to its:
Answer: High reactivity.
Explanation: Lithium's elemental form is not found in nature because of its inherent high reactivity.
What are the primary terrestrial sources of lithium?
Answer: Pegmatitic minerals and lithium-rich brines.
Explanation: The principal terrestrial sources of lithium are pegmatitic minerals and lithium-rich brines found in salt flats and underground deposits.
What is a significant environmental concern associated with the brine evaporation method of lithium extraction?
Answer: Unsustainable water consumption in arid regions.
Explanation: A significant environmental concern linked to the brine evaporation method of lithium extraction is its unsustainable consumption of water resources in arid regions.
What characterizes Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE)?
Answer: Alternative technologies aiming to extract lithium from brines more sustainably.
Explanation: Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) refers to alternative technologies developed to extract lithium from brines, aiming to address the environmental and economic limitations of conventional brine evaporation processes.
Lithium's primary industrial application is in the production of specialized alloys for aerospace.
Answer: False
Explanation: While lithium is used in specialized alloys for aerospace, its primary industrial application is in the production of lithium-ion batteries, which consume the largest portion of lithium production.
Metallic lithium and its hydrides are employed as high-energy additives in rocket propellants.
Answer: True
Explanation: Metallic lithium and its hydrides are indeed utilized as high-energy additives in rocket propellants due to their energetic properties.
Lithium carbonate is added to ceramics and glass to lower their melting point and viscosity.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium carbonate acts as a flux in ceramics and glass, serving to decrease their melting point and viscosity, thereby enhancing the properties of the resulting materials.
Lithium's high electrode potential is a key factor in its suitability for high-energy batteries.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium's high electrode potential is a critical characteristic that contributes to the high voltage and energy density achievable in lithium-ion batteries.
Which application consumes the largest proportion of lithium production?
Answer: Lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries.
Explanation: The largest consumer of lithium production is the manufacturing of lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries.
What is the significance of lithium's low atomic mass in battery technology?
Answer: It contributes to a high charge-to-weight ratio, increasing energy density.
Explanation: Lithium's low atomic mass is significant in battery technology as it contributes to a high charge-to-weight ratio, thereby enhancing the energy density of the batteries.
How does lithium's incorporation into lubricating greases enhance their performance?
Answer: By acting as a thickening agent for oils, providing wide temperature range functionality.
Explanation: Lithium's incorporation into lubricating greases as thickening agents (lithium soaps) enhances performance by providing stability and functionality across a wide temperature range.
Organolithium compounds are primarily utilized as catalysts in the production of polymers such as polyethylene.
Answer: False
Explanation: While organolithium compounds are crucial in organic synthesis and serve as catalysts in polymer production, their primary role is not exclusively as catalysts for polyethylene, but rather as versatile reagents in forming carbon-carbon bonds.
Lithium salts are primarily used in medicine as mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium salts are primarily recognized for their therapeutic role as mood stabilizers in the management of bipolar disorder, rather than for treating hypertension.
Lithium's name originates from the Greek word 'lithos' meaning 'stone'.
Answer: True
Explanation: The nomenclature for lithium derives from the Greek term 'lithos,' signifying 'stone,' reflecting its initial discovery within a mineral.
Lithium compounds are used in pyrotechnics to impart a red color to flames.
Answer: True
Explanation: In pyrotechnic applications, lithium compounds are utilized to produce a vibrant red color in flames, owing to lithium's characteristic emission spectrum.
What is the primary medical application of lithium?
Answer: As a mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder.
Explanation: The primary medical application of lithium salts is as a mood stabilizer for the treatment of bipolar disorder.
How does lithium's high specific heat capacity benefit its application as a coolant?
Answer: It enables the coolant to absorb a large amount of heat without significant temperature increase.
Explanation: Lithium's high specific heat capacity benefits its use as a coolant by enabling it to absorb substantial thermal energy without undergoing a significant temperature rise.
Lithium compounds are utilized in pyrotechnics primarily to:
Answer: Impart a vibrant red color to flames.
Explanation: Lithium compounds are primarily used in pyrotechnics to impart a vibrant red color to flames.
What is the purpose of lithium compounds, such as lithium hydroxide, in air purification systems?
Answer: To absorb carbon dioxide.
Explanation: Lithium compounds like lithium hydroxide serve to absorb carbon dioxide in air purification systems, particularly in environments like spacecraft.
Lithium fluoride (LiF) is useful in specialized optics due to its transparency across a wide range of wavelengths and its possession of:
Answer: One of the lowest refractive indices among optical materials.
Explanation: Lithium fluoride is valuable in specialized optics because, in addition to its broad spectral transparency, it exhibits one of the lowest refractive indices among optical materials.
Lithium is relatively uncommon in the Solar System because its atomic nucleus has a low binding energy per nucleon.
Answer: True
Explanation: Lithium's relative uncommonness in the Solar System is primarily attributed to its atomic nucleus having a low binding energy per nucleon, rendering it less stable.
The 'cosmological lithium discrepancy' refers to a disagreement between predicted and observed lithium amounts in early universe stars.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'cosmological lithium discrepancy' denotes the observed variance between the theoretically predicted abundance of lithium from Big Bang nucleosynthesis and the quantities detected in ancient stellar populations.
Lithium's presence in stellar spectra is used to distinguish between brown dwarfs and red dwarf stars.
Answer: True
Explanation: Astronomers utilize the spectral signature of lithium to differentiate between celestial objects, such as distinguishing brown dwarfs from red dwarf stars.
What is the primary reason for lithium's relative scarcity in the Solar System?
Answer: Its atomic nucleus has a low binding energy per nucleon, making it unstable.
Explanation: Lithium's relative scarcity in the Solar System is primarily attributed to its atomic nucleus possessing a low binding energy per nucleon, rendering it less stable.
The 'cosmological lithium discrepancy' relates to a difference between predicted and observed lithium in:
Answer: Older stars.
Explanation: The 'cosmological lithium discrepancy' pertains to the variance observed between predicted and actual lithium abundances in older stars.
How do astronomers utilize lithium in stellar spectra?
Answer: To distinguish between brown dwarfs and red dwarf stars.
Explanation: Astronomers utilize the spectral signature of lithium to differentiate between celestial objects, such as distinguishing brown dwarfs from red dwarf stars.
Chile holds the largest estimated lithium reserves globally, while Australia leads in annual production.
Answer: True
Explanation: Current estimates indicate that Chile possesses the largest global lithium reserves, with Australia leading in annual production volume.
Which country holds the largest estimated lithium reserves?
Answer: Chile
Explanation: Chile is estimated to hold the largest global reserves of lithium.
What is the primary driver of increasing geopolitical competition surrounding lithium?
Answer: Its critical role in the transition to renewable energy technologies and battery production.
Explanation: The primary driver of geopolitical competition concerning lithium is its critical role in the global transition to renewable energy technologies, particularly electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
What is the principal challenge in accurately estimating global lithium reserves?
Answer: Most classification schemes are designed for solid ore deposits, not fluid brine deposits.
Explanation: A principal challenge in estimating global lithium reserves lies in the inadequacy of traditional classification schemes, which are designed for solid ore deposits, to effectively categorize fluid brine deposits with their inherent complexities.