- Structure
- Nomenclature
- Physical properties
- Physical state
- Molecular weight
- Melting point
- Decomposition
- Density
- Solubility
- pH
- Chemical properties
- Biological properties
- Obtaining
- Applications
- In the treatment of mental illness
- In the treatment of symptoms of other diseases
- Form of administration
- Adverse effects
- Cases in which it should not be administered
- Other uses
- References
The lithium carbonate is an inorganic solid comprising two lithium cations Li + and a carbonate anion CO 3 2 -. Its chemical formula is Li 2 CO 3. Li 2 CO 3 is a white crystalline solid that can be obtained by the reaction between lithium hydroxide and carbon dioxide.
Lithium carbonate has a very high melting point, which is why it is used in the preparation of glasses, ceramics and porcelains. It has a wide variety of uses, such as in rechargeable lithium batteries, in the preparation of other lithium compounds, in welding electrodes and in paints and varnishes.
Solid lithium Li 2 CO 3 carbonate. Picture taken by w: User: Walkerma in June 2005. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Li 2 CO 3 is also used in cement mixes for rapid setting and in aluminum production.
One of its most important uses is in the treatment of some mental illnesses such as depression and excessively aggressive behaviors, among other conditions.
However, its use as a medicine must be duly controlled by medical specialists since people treated with Li 2 CO 3 may suffer harmful effects on health, such as hypothyroidism (reduced function of the thyroid gland).
Structure
Lithium carbonate is made up of two lithium Li + cations and a CO 3 2 - carbonate anion.
Structure of lithium carbonate Li 2 CO 3. Adrian Hands. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
The electronic configuration of lithium in oxidation state +1 is 1s 2 2s 0, since it has lost the electron from the last shell, thus being more stable. The carbonate ion CO 3 2 - has a flat structure.
Flat structure of the carbonate ion CO 3 2 -. Benjah-bmm27. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Negative charges are evenly distributed among the three oxygen atoms of the carbonate ion CO 3 2 -.
Theoretical resonance structures of the carbonate ion CO 3 2 - which serve to explain the equitable distribution of negative charges between the 3 oxygen atoms. Benjah-bmm27. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Nomenclature
-Lithium carbonate
-Dilithium carbonate
Physical properties
Physical state
White crystalline solid with monoclinic structure
Molecular weight
73.9 g / mol
Melting point
723 ºC
Decomposition
It decomposes at 1300 ºC.
Density
2.11 g / cm 3
Solubility
Slightly soluble in water: 1.31% by weight at 20 ºC. Its solubility in water decreases with increasing temperature. It is soluble in dilute acids. It is insoluble in alcohol and in acetone.
pH
Solutions in water are alkaline, have a pH greater than 7.
Chemical properties
Li 2 CO 3 is hydrolyzed in aqueous solution generating a basic solution. The small proportion of the compound that is solubilized in water leaves the carbonate anion CO 3 2 - free.
The free CO 3 2 - carbonate anion in aqueous solution takes a proton to form the HCO 3 - bicarbonate anion, as can be seen in the following reaction:
CO 3 2 - + H 2 O → HCO 3 - + OH -
The presence of OH - ions is what makes the solution basic.
Biological properties
Traces of lithium ion are normally present in animal and human tissues, but no natural physiological role of this ion is known so far.
In the human body, Li 2 CO 3 ingested as a drug acts on a variety of signaling mechanisms in neurons and other cells. This results from the substitution of cations such as sodium and potassium.
The incorporation of lithium ion into the structure of the cell membrane can alter the response to hormones and the coupling of the cell with energy processes.
In this way, lithium modifies several cellular processes including metabolism.
By modifying the way cells function, Li 2 CO 3 can act on the communication mechanisms of neurons in the brain.
Obtaining
Li 2 CO 3 can be obtained by reacting lithium hydroxide LiOH with carbon dioxide CO 2, as shown below:
2 LiOH + CO 2 → Li 2 CO 3 + H 2 O
It is commercially produced from lithium-containing minerals such as spodumene and lepidolite. These minerals are treated at high temperatures with certain sulfate salts or with alkaline compounds to obtain lithium salts.
The lithium salts obtained are purified with water or acid solutions and then treated with carbonates to form Li 2 CO 3.
However, the Li 2 CO 3 obtained in this way is contaminated with sulfates or chlorides of calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, potassium, etc. so it requires further purification.
Applications
In the treatment of mental illness
It is used as an antidepressant, antimanic agent, in the treatment of aggressive-impulsive behaviors and for bipolar disorders (people who change their mood suddenly without any cause, becoming violent).
Some aggressive-impulsive disorders can be treated with Li 2 CO 3. Author: Prawny. Source: Pixabay.
Doctors have observed that its administration leads to a decrease in the intensity and frequency of severe periods of depression and manic episodes.
It is used alone, that is, without any added compound, in the maintenance therapy of unipolar depression and for schizoaffective disorder. It also serves to increase the antidepressant effect of other medications.
Although it has been used to treat children with apparent symptoms of bipolar disorder and hyperactivity with neurotic or aggressive components, it has not been effective in all cases.
In the treatment of symptoms of other diseases
It is used to reduce the frequency of severe, recurrent and chronic headaches.
It is used to reduce the incidence of infection in patients with neutropenia induced by chemotherapy or for other reasons. Neutropenia is a decrease in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that helps fight infections in the body.
It has been used as a thyroid enzyme inhibitor for the treatment of hyperthyroidism, but it is not the preferred treatment due to its adverse effects.
Form of administration
It is used in the form of Li 2 CO 3 tablets or capsules. Also in slow release tablets with lithium citrate. Li 2 CO 3 is preferred because it does not irritate the throat when swallowed, as is the case with other lithium salts.
Author: Pete Linforth. Source: Pixabay.
Adverse effects
Li 2 CO 3 can have a harmful effect on the thyroid and kidneys, so the function of these organs should be monitored before and during treatment with this compound.
Li 2 CO 3 can be toxic at concentrations very close to those used in medical treatments, so a continuous review of its values in blood serum is required.
Symptoms of Li 2 CO 3 poisoning are tremors, muscle spasms, muscle weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness or ataxia (impaired muscle coordination), among others.
Symptoms such as tremors, headaches, and nausea may also occur when Li 2 CO 3 therapy is started. But these tend to disappear as the medication continues.
Most treated people can also develop leukocytosis (increased number of white blood cells), but this is reversible.
People who are being medicated with Li 2 CO 3 should not drive vehicles or operate machinery, because it decreases physical coordination and the ability to perform activities that require alertness.
Cases in which it should not be administered
It should not be used in children under 12 years of age, as it can interfere with the formation of bones and their density, since it alters the concentrations of a thyroid hormone. It also tends to take the place of calcium in the bones.
People with cardiovascular, kidney or thyroid disease should not be treated with Li 2 CO 3. Neither in severely dehydrated patients.
It should not be administered to pregnant women especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Lithium crosses the placenta and can easily reach the fetus with possible teratogenic effects, that is, it can cause abnormalities or malformations in the unborn baby.
Elderly people who require treatment with Li 2 CO 3 should be treated with great care and with lower doses than young adults, as they can develop hypothyroid disease.
Other uses
High purity Li 2 CO 3 is widely used in the manufacture of rechargeable lithium batteries.
It is used in molten carbonate fuel cells.
It is used in the manufacture of electrical porcelain which is a type of electrically insulating porcelain. It is also used in the production of glaze on ceramics.
Li 2 CO 3 is used to make electrical porcelain, which is used as an insulator for electricity, for example in power poles. fir0002 flagstaffotos gmail.com Canon 20D + Tamron 28-75mm f / 2.8. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
It makes it possible to prepare ceramics with a low coefficient of expansion, that is, it expands very little with increasing temperature, so the ceramic can be used in a higher temperature range.
Other uses are as a catalyst, in the manufacture of other lithium compounds, as a coating for welding electrodes, in luminescent paint, varnish and colorant formulas, as well as in the electrolytic production of aluminum.
It is useful to generate a faster setting of the cement and is added to the glue of the tiles so that they can be fixed in a short time.
Author: Capri23auto. Source: Pixabay.
References
- Cai, W. et al. (2018). Removal of SO 4 2- from Li 2 CO 3 by Recrystallization in Na 2 CO 3. Crystals 2018, 8, 19. Recovered from mdpi.com.
- Gadikota, G. (2017). Connecting the Morphological and Crystal Structural Changes during the Conversion of Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate to Lithium Carbonate Using Multi-Scale X-ray Scattering Measurements. Minerals 2017, 7, 169. Recovered from mdpi.com.
- US National Library of Medicine. (2019). Lithium Carbonate. Recovered from: pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- Kirk-Othmer (1994). Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Fourth Edition. John Wiley & Sons.
- Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. (1990). Fifth Edition. VCH Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.
- Cotton, F. Albert and Wilkinson, Geoffrey. (1980). Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. Fourth Edition. John Wiley & Sons.