The Story of Lithium

[Recusant]

This is an article that, while it focuses on lithium, also explores the evolution of the Universe--a good read.

"The Cosmic Explosions That Made The Universe" | BBC

Lithium is everywhere these days. As far back as the mid-19th Century, the soft, silver-white metal was medicine. Doctors used it to treat gout as well as psychiatric disorders such as mania. Even today, lithium remains a common treatment for bipolar disorder.

But for many people, lithium has become synonymous with batteries. It is a crucial ingredient for powering your phones, laptops and other portable gadgets. With the rise of hybrid and electric cars, the market for the metal will only grow; as much as three-fold by 2025, according to an estimate by Goldman Sachs.

Most of the world's reserves are in South America, with the single largest deposits under dry lakes in the high Andes. But lithium has been around a lot longer than any mountain or even Earth itself. In fact, lithium is one of the original elements – along with hydrogen and helium – that were born in the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago.

The history of lithium is long, but also shrouded in mystery. In the aftermath of the Big Bang, most of the newly-created lithium somehow went missing. What's more, when astronomers look at the current Universe, they find extra lithium: about four times more than what should have been produced in the Big Bang.

[Continues . . .]

[Dave]

I had forgotten that lithium was so light, atomic weight kess than twice that of helium, only about half as heavy as oxygen.

Wonder if that means it will "float" in a tank of pure oxygen?

Also never found out, yet, what makes some elements solids and other, heavier ones, gases. Must be the "attraction forces" on the outer layers of the atoms or summat like that.

[Recusant]

Lithium in its normal configuration as a metal will not float in pure oxygen.

It will float on water, but while it's floating it will violently react with the water, so not a good idea to try to build a boat with it.

Why lithium is a metal and not a gas is down to its property of forming chemical bonds with itself (in very simplistic terms that may not be completely accurate). A question like that is almost guaranteed to make me go looking, and I found a detailed explanation given by "Joe Hall, A Chemistry graduate, University of London" here. It's the third answer from the top.