Lithium, Physical and Chemical Properties

Lithium is an alkali metal but has properties more similar to the alkaline earth magnesium than to its group member sodium. For example, lithium carbonate is insoluble in water like MgCO₃ unlike Na₂CO₃. This is the basis of separating lithium from natural brines containing alkali metals for its recovery. This property is known as diagonal similarity (Fig. 1). Lithium-containing brines have become the most important raw materials for the production of lithium chemicals. Their industrial exploitation began at Searle’s Lake, California; in Clayton Valley, Nevada; at the Salar de Atacama in Chile; and at the Salar del Hombre Muerto in Argentina.

Lithium, Physical and Chemical Properties, Fig. 1

Illustrating the diagonal similarity in the periodic table