Lithium

Lithium, chemical element, symbol Li; for physical constants see Periodic Table. Lithium was discovered by Johann August Arfvedson in 1817. It is found in nearly all igneous rocks. Spodumene (lithium aluminum silicate) is an important mineral of lithium. Lithium is recovered commercially from brines. The metal is produced by the electrolysis of its fused chloride. Lithium is a silvery-white, reactive metal, the first of the alkali metal group. It is the lightest of all metals and has the highest specific heat of any solid element. Lithium and its compounds are used in lithium-hardened bearing metals, batteries, heat transfer applications, special glasses and ceramics, and in medicine for manic-depressive illness.