Name: Rebecca Nunemaker
Period: 4
Element Research Worksheet
Place your research on this sheet
Or use Noodle Tools note cards so you are sure to avoid Plagiarism
Element Name: Lithium
Element Symbol: Li
Electron Configuration: He 2s1
Atomic Mass: 6.941 Atomic Number: 3
1. Origin of chemical name of the element:
 The name comes from the Greek word lithos, for "stone."
"World of Scientific Discovery." Gale Science in Context. N.p., 2007. Web. 10
Dec. 2012. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/
ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SCIC&windowstate=normal&conten
tModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighligh
ting=false&source=&sortBy=&displayGroups=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&
activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CCV1648500351&userGroupName=leet30946&jsid
=89936f14c18dd72436b0a1111171b78f>.
2. Date element was discovered:
 1817
"Lithium: the essentials." WebElements. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/>.
3. The name of the discoverer of the element:
 Johan August Arfvedson
"Lithium: the essentials." WebElements. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/>.
4. A description of how the element can be isolated:
 The pure metal was isolated by both Swedish chemist William Brande and English chemist
Humphry Davy working separately. Davy took a small amount of lithium metal by electrolysis
of lithium carbonate. He saw the new element had a red flame color somewhat like strontium
and produced an alkali solution when dissolved in water. Brande said that lithium, “its
solution tastes acrid like the other fixed alkalies.” By 1855 Robert Bunsen and Augustus
Matthiessen were separately producing the metal in large amounts by electrolysis of molten
lithium chloride.
"World of Scientific Discovery." Gale Science in Context. N.p., 2007. Web. 10
Dec. 2012. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/
ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SCIC&windowstate=normal&conten
tModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighligh
ting=false&source=&sortBy=&displayGroups=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&
activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CCV1648500351&userGroupName=leet30946&jsid
=89936f14c18dd72436b0a1111171b78f>.
5. Find three compounds of the element – list the name, chemical formula and use of each
compound.
"Lithium compounds." WebElement. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/compounds.html>.
1.) Lithium Chloride, LiCl, and Lithium Chloride a drug used for bipolar disorder.
2.)Lithium iodide, LiI, Lithium iodide is used as an electrolyte for high temperature batteries. It is also
used for long life batteries like artificial pacemakers.
3.) Lithium fluoride, LiF, Lithium fluoride is most widely used as a flux in the production of ceramics,
such as enamels, glasses and glazes.
6. Physical properties of the element (four or more):
 solid at room temperature, silvery white/grey color, density of 0.534 grams per cubic
centimeter, softest metal, and the lightest solid metal
"Lithium: the essentials." WebElements. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/>.
7. Chemical properties of the element (2 or more):
 low melting point and tarnishes with air
"Lithium: the essentials." WebElements. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/>.
8. Interesting properties, facts or uses about the element not previously mentioned.
 (3 or more) Lithium is used to make the red color in fireworks, if lithium didn’t react with
water it would float, and pure lithium metal is extremely corrosive and requires special
handling.
"Lithium: the essentials." WebElements. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/>.
9. Three pictures that represent the element (1.e. picture of the element, person responsible for
discovery, products of the elements, etc.)
"Lithium: the essentials." WebElements. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/>.
"Lithium compounds." WebElement. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/compounds.html>.
"Lithium compounds." WebElement. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.webelements.com/lithium/compounds.html>.