India's Ministry of Mines recently announced that 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Jammu and Kashmir.
Key facts about Lithium:
It is a soft, silvery-white metal that heads group 1, the alkali metals group, of the periodic table of the elements.
Features:
It has the lowest density of all metals.
It is the lightest of the solid elements.
It reacts vigorously with water.
It has a body-centered cubic crystal structure.
Occurrence:
Lithium does not occur as a metal in nature but is found combined in small amounts in igneous rocks.
Lithium is found in brine deposits and as salts in mineral springs. Its concentration in seawater is 0.1 part per million (ppm).
Major Reserves: Lithium reserves are concentrated in the lithium triangle in South America – Argentina, Bolivia & Chile, with 50% of the deposits concentrated in these regions.
Uses:
Lithium is important in rechargeable batteriesfor mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, and electric vehicles.
It is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for things like heart pacemakers, toys, and clocks.
Lithium metal is made into alloys with aluminium and magnesium, improving their strength and making them lighter.
Lithium oxide is used in special glasses and glass ceramics.
Lithium stearate is used as an all-purpose and high-temperature lubricant.
Lithium carbonate is used in drugs to treat manic depression
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