1817,1821

Lithium

• José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva
• discovered a lithium aluminium phyllosilicate crystal
• in a mine on the island of Utö, Sweden, in 1800,
• but he didn’t know it contained a new element
• which Johan August Arfwedson determined in 1817.
• Arfwedson let Jöns Jacob Berzelius name
• after the Greek for “stone,”
• but they weren’t able to isolate the element
• which William Thomas Brande did in 1821
• using electrolysis of lithium oxide.

Atomic number 3

• Lithium is the lightest metal,
• the least dense solid element at room temperature,
• highly reactive, and flammable
• It’s used for heat-resistant glasses and ceramics,
• for lubricating greases that are non-corrosive,
• for fireworks that burn red,
• for treating bipolar disorder,
• and for rechargeable batteries.

Lithia waters

• The acclaimed lithia water of Ashland,
• once reputed beneficial to the heart and brain
• and available free from a fountain at the center of town,
• results in a substantial shock to the system.