Lithium
| Lithium | |
|---|---|
| Li | |
| In situ availability: | |
| Necessity: | |
| Atomic number: | 3 |
| Atomic mass: | 6.941 |
| group: | 1 |
| period: | 2 |
| normal phase: | Solid |
| series: | Alkali metals |
| density: | 0.534 g/cm3 |
| melting point: | 453.69K, 180.54°C, 356.97°F |
| boiling point: | 1615K, 1342°C, 2448°F |
| N/A ← H → N/A | |
| He ← Li → Be | |
| N/A ← Na → Mg | |
| Atomic radius (pm): | 145 pm |
| Bohr radius (pm): | 167 |
| Covalent radius (pm): | 134 |
| Van der Waals radius (pm): | 182 |
| ionic radius (pm): | (+1) 76 |
| 1st ion potential (eV): | 5.39 |
| Electron Configuration | |
| 1s2 2s1 | |
| Electrons Per Shell | |
| 2, 1 | |
| Electronegativity: | 0.98 |
| Electron Affinity: | 0.62 |
| Oxidation states: | 1 |
| Magnetism: | Nonmagnetic |
| Crystal structure: | Body centered cubic |
Lithium is a Alkali metal in group 1.
It has a Body centered cubic crystalline structure.
This element has two stable isotopes: 6 and 7.
Availability on the Moon
Lithium is available in the lunar regolith[1][2]. Average concentration is low at 10 ppm.
Production and use
Due to the low concentration lithium on the Moon , extracting it might require extensive installation. 10 ppm is in the range of gold mines on Earth. One million tonnes of regolith would need to be treated to produce 10 tonnes of lithium, making it unpractical as a base resources. The Moon might need to import Lithium.
Lithium is used in energy storage devices and some alloys of aluminum.
Lithium is an essential trace element in food. A typical human body contains 0,000007 kg[3]. For one million persons the lithium required would be 7 kg. For an entire ecosystem serving these one million people the amount required might be about one metric ton (hypothetical ratio of 100:1). So Lithium would likely be sourced from Earth for this use.
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References
- ↑ Dreibus, G., et al. “Lithium and Halogens in Lunar Samples.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, vol. 285, no. 1327, 1977, pp. 49–54. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/74829. Accessed 20 Jan. 2021.
- ↑ https://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/lunar_sourcebook/pdf/Chapter08.pdf
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_of_the_human_body
