LITHIUM CARBONATE
LITHIUM CARBONATE
CAS Number: 554-13-2
EC number: 209-062-5
Chemical formula: Li₂CO₃
Molar Mass: 70.02 g/mol
Lithium Carbonate is a white, light, odorless powder.
Lithium Carbonate is used in the production of glazes on ceramics and porcelain, in varnishes and dyes, as a coating on arc welding electrodes, and in lubricating greases.
Lithium Carbonate is also used as medication to treat certain types of mental illness.
Lithium carbonate is used to treat and prevent episodes of mania in people with bipolar disorder (manic depressive disorder).
Lithium is in a class of medications called antimanic agents, which work by decreasing abnormal activity in the brain.
Lithium carbonate is an inorganic compound, the lithium salt of carbonate with the formula Li2CO3.
This white salt is widely used in the processing of metal oxides.
Lithium Carbonate is listed on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines because it can be used as a treatment for mood disorders such as bipolar disorder.
Lithium carbonate is a medication used to treat manic episodes of bipolar disorder.
Uses of Lithium Carbonate:
Lithium carbonate is an important industrial chemical.
Lithium Carbonates main use is as a precursor for compounds used in lithium-ion batteries.
Glasses derived from lithium carbonate are useful in ovenware.
Lithium carbonate is a common ingredient in both low-fire and high-fire ceramic glaze.
Lithium Carbonate forms low-melting fluxes with silica and other materials.
Lithium Carbonates alkaline properties are conducive to changing the state of metal oxide colorants in glaze, particularly red iron oxide (Fe2O3).
Cement sets more rapidly when prepared with lithium carbonate, and is useful for tile adhesives.
When added to aluminium trifluoride, it forms LiF which gives a superior electrolyte for the processing of aluminium.
Rechargeable batteries
The main use of lithium carbonate (and lithium hydroxide) is as a precursor to lithium compounds used in lithium-ion batteries.
In practice two components of the battery are made with lithium compounds: the cathode and the electrolyte.
The electrolyte is a solution of lithium hexafluorophosphate, while the cathode uses one of several lithiated structures, the most popular of which are lithium cobalt oxide and lithium iron phosphate.
Lithium carbonate may be converted into lithium hydroxide before conversion to the compounds above.
Lithium carbonate is a widely used and invaluable drug in the treatment and prevention of manic-depressive illness.
However, this medication has a low therapeutic index and, therefore, many attendant side effects.
Acute lithium carbonate intoxication affects predominantly the central nervous system and the renal system and is potentially lethal.
We studied a case of acute lithium carbonate intoxication characterized by a prolonged comatose state, severe nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, and glucose intolerance.
Of interest, the patient’s symptoms and signs of toxic reaction developed after normalization of the plasma lithium ion levels.
We reviewed the multisystemic toxic effects of lithium carbonate as well as its teratogenic potential and guidelines for its use during pregnancy.
The management of acute lithium carbonate intoxication should include hydration with normal saline, intensive care monitoring, and dialysis if indicated.
Lithium carbonate is a mood stabilizer; thought to act by reducing catecholamine neurotransmitter concentration, through an effect on the Na+/K+ ATPase pump.
Effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder.
Lithium carbonate is widely used for the treatment of mania and manic states, but it may lead to lithium poisoning if blood lithium level is uncontrolled.
Lithium carbonate is used for lithium iron phosphate (LFP)batteries.
Common uses:
-bipolar disorder
-bipolar II disorder
-bipolar I disorder
-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
-cluster headaches
-major depressive disorder
1. Lithium carbonate: Batteries and beyond
Batteries have generated the most excitement in the lithium space over the last few years, with interest spurred by Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) plans to develop lithium-ion battery gigafactories.
However, there is more to the lithium market than Tesla, and the market for lithium is not all about batteries.
Looking beyond batteries, lithium carbonate is used in ceramics, glass, cement and aluminum processing.
Indeed, while the battery market is certainly growing, the US Geological Survey estimates that glass and ceramics still made up roughly 14 percent of global end-use markets in 2020.
Lithium carbonate also has an important use in the pharmaceutical industry: it’s been on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines as a treatment for bipolar disorder.
2. Lithium production: Different types of lithium
When Lithium Carbonate comes to lithium production, not all lithium carbonate is created equal, and end products must meet specific requirements to be used in different applications.
For example, battery-grade lithium carbonate can be used to make cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, but most contaminants must be removed in order for the material to be considered battery grade.
Technical-grade lithium carbonate is cheaper than battery-grade material, but such products must have very low concentrations of iron to make the cut for end users.
This type of lithium is used in applications for glass and ceramics.
Lithium Carbonate’s also worth noting that lithium is used in the form of ore concentrates in industrial applications rather than as lithium carbonate or hydroxide.
3. What about lithium hydroxide?
Lithium hydroxide’s popularity has been on the rise, at least in terms of making electric vehicle batteries.
While lithium hydroxide is currently more expensive than lithium carbonate, it is necessary for some types of cathodes, such as nickel–cobalt-aluminum oxide (NCA) and nickel-cobalt-manganese oxide (NCM).
Demand for lithium has risen significantly in recent years due to the growing electric vehicle market, with some arguing that lithium hydroxide could outpace lithium carbonate in terms of demand growth in the future.
However, as Andrew Miller of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence has explained, it’s going to take time before high-nickel cathodes such as NCA and NCM 811 take a more dominant position.
That’s because there are a lot of technical and economic challenges in terms of bringing the cost down.
At the end of the day, with lithium demand expected to grow by over eight times, the debate as to whether demand for lithium hydroxide will overtake lithium carbonate loses steam, as it’s becoming clear that the world will need both.
Medical uses
Main article: Lithium (medication)
In 1843, lithium carbonate was used as a new solvent for stones in the bladder.
In 1859, some doctors recommended a therapy with lithium salts for a number of ailments, including gout, urinary calculi, rheumatism, mania, depression, and headache.
In 1948, John Cade discovered the anti-manic effects of lithium ions.
This finding led lithium, specifically lithium carbonate, to be used to treat mania associated with bipolar disorder.
Lithium carbonate is used as a psychiatric medication to treat mania, the elevated phase of bipolar disorder.
Prescription lithium carbonate from a pharmacy is suitable for use as medicine in humans while industrial lithium carbonate is not since the latter may, for example, contain unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals or other toxicants.
After ingestion, lithium carbonate is dissociated into pharmacologically active lithium ions (Li+) and (non-therapeutic) carbonate, with 300 mg of lithium carbonate containing approximately 8 mEq (8 mmol) of lithium ion.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 300–600 mg of lithium carbonate taken two to three times daily is typical for maintenance of bipolar I disorder in adults, where the exact dose given varies depending on factors such as the patient’s serum lithium concentrations, which must be monitored by a physician to avoid lithium toxicity and potential kidney damage (or even failure) from lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
Lithium ions interfere with ion transport processes (see “sodium pump”) that relay and amplify messages carried to the cells of the brain.
Mania is associated with irregular increases in protein kinase C (PKC) activity within the brain. Lithium carbonate and sodium valproate, another drug traditionally used to treat the disorder, act in the brain by inhibiting PKC’s activity and help to produce other compounds that also inhibit the PKC.
Lithium carbonate’s mood-controlling properties are not fully understood.
Adverse reactions
Taking lithium salts has risks and side effects.
Extended use of lithium to treat various mental disorders has been known to lead to acquired nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
Lithium intoxication can affect the central nervous system and renal system and can be lethal.
Red pyrotechnic colorant
Lithium carbonate is used to impart a red color to fireworks.
Properties and reactions
Unlike sodium carbonate, which forms at least three hydrates, lithium carbonate exists only in the anhydrous form.
Lithium Carbonates solubility in water is low relative to other lithium salts.
The isolation of lithium from aqueous extracts of lithium ores capitalizes on this poor solubility.
Its apparent solubility increases 10-fold under a mild pressure of carbon dioxide; this effect is due to the formation of the metastable bicarbonate, which is more soluble:
Li2CO3 + CO2 + H2O ⇌ 2 LiHCO3
The extraction of lithium carbonate at high pressures of CO2 and its precipitation upon depressurizing is the basis of the Quebec process.
Lithium carbonate can also be purified by exploiting its diminished solubility in hot water.
Thus, heating a saturated aqueous solution causes crystallization of Li2CO3.
Lithium carbonate, and other carbonates of group 1, do not decarboxylate readily. Li2CO3 decomposes at temperatures around 1300 °C.
Lithium Carbonate Formula:
Lithium carbonate, or cabolith, duralith or dilithium carbonate is an inorganic salt used by the chemical industry to oxidize metals and by the pharmaceutical industry in the treatment of bipolarity.
Lithium Carbonate is on the World Health Organization (WHO) model list of the Most Essential Medicines needed in a basic health system.
Formula and structure:
The lithium carbonate chemical formula is Li2CO3 and its molar mass is 73.89 g mol-1.
The molecule is formed by the lithium cation Li+ carbonate anion CO32- and their crystal structure is monoclinic.
Lithium Carbonates chemical structure can be written as below, in the common representations used for organic molecules.
Occurrence:
Lithium carbonate is found in ores together other minerals.
Lithium Carbonate can be extracted easily because it is insoluble in water, thus the hot water is used to isolate from other chemical compounds present in ores.
Preparation:
Lithium carbonate can be produced through chemical synthesis; however it is most commonly extracted from minerals.
There are some chemical methods to produces lithium carbonate:, but the most widespread is the reaction between the lithium hydroxide or lithium chloride and sodium carbonate in water, which produces a precipitate of lithium carbonate:
2 LiOH + Na2CO3 → Li2CO3 + 2 NaOH
2 LiCl + Na2CO3 → Li2CO3 + 2 NaCl
Physical properties:
Lithium carbonate is an odorless white powder.
Lithium Carbonates density is 2.11 g mL-1.
Lithium carbonate melting point is 724 ºC and its boiling point is 1310 ºC.
Lithium Carbonate is insoluble in hot water, acetone, ammonia and ethanol.
Lithium Carbonate is poorly soluble in cold water (its solubility in water decrease with the increasing the temperature).
Lithium Carbonate is soluble in acetic acid.
Chemical properties: Lithium carbonate is a salt of lithium most used and it is widely commercialized to the bipolarity treatment.
Lithium is the ion most similar to sodium, by size and charge, thus it is a competitor of sodium in the transmembrane exchange in nerve cells, thus it can be affected the release of neurotransmitters.
Lithium carbonate can also be used to elevate the peripheral leukocytes.
Uses: Lithium carbonate is mainly used by the pharmaceutical industry in treatments against manic-depressive psychosis.
Lithium Carbonate is also used by the chemical industry in the production of other lithium compounds, especially lithium salts as lithium chloride and lithium bromide.
Lithium carbonate is also a raw material to manufacture glass and porcelain.
Lithium Carbonate is also added into electrolytic cells for electrolysis of aluminium due it helps to increase the efficiency of the cell and it is component of many semiconductors and chemical catalysts.
Health effects / safety hazards:
Lithium carbonate can be extremely toxic by ingestion in large quantities.
Lithium Carbonate may also cause side effects and other diseases such as nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
Lithium Carbonate is not flammable.
CAS Number: 554-13-2
CHEBI: 6504
ChEMBL: ChEMBL1200826
ChemSpider: 10654
ECHA InfoCard: 100.008.239
KEGG: D00801
PubChem CID: 11125
RTECS number: OJ5800000
UNII: 2BMD2GNA4V
CompTox Dashboard (EPA): DTXSID1023784
Production
Lithium is extracted from primarily two sources: spodumene in pegmatite deposits, and lithium salts in underground brine pools.
About 82,000 tons were produced in 2020, showing significant and consistent growth.
From underground brine reservoirs
As an example, in the Salar de Atacama in the Atacama desert of Northern Chile, SQM produces lithium carbonate and hydroxide from brine.
The process involves pumping up lithium rich brine from below the ground into shallow pans for evaporation.
The brine contains many different dissolved ions, and as the concentration increases, salts precipitate out of solution and sink.
The remaining liquid (the supernatant) is used for the next step.
The exact sequence of pans may vary depending on the concentration of ions in a particular source of brine.
In the first pan, halite (sodium chloride or common salt) crystallises.
This has insufficient economic value and is discarded.
The supernatant, with ever increasing concentration of dissolved solids, is transferred successively to the sylvinite (sodium potassium chloride) pan, the carnalite (potassium magnesium chloride) pan and finally a pan designed to maximise the concentration of lithium chloride.
The process takes about 15 months. The concentrate (30-35% lithium chloride solution) is trucked to Salar del Carmen.
There, boron and magnesium are removed (typically residual boron is removed by solvent extraction and/or ion exchange and magnesium by raising the pH above 10 with sodium hydroxide) then in the final step, by addition of sodium carbonate, the desired lithium carbonate is precipitated out, separated, and processed.
Some of the by-products from the evaporation process may also have economic value.
There is considerable focus on the use of water in this water poor region.
SQM commissioned a life-cycle analysis which concluded that water consumption for SQM’s lithium hydroxide and carbonate is significantly lower than the average consumption in production from the main ore-based process, using spodumene.
A more general LCA suggests the opposite for extraction from reservoirs as a whole.
The majority of brine based production is in the “lithium triangle” in South America.
From ‘geothermal’ brine
Another potential source of lithium is the leachates of geothermal wells, which are carried to the surface.
Recovery of lithium has been demonstrated in the field; the lithium is separated by simple precipitation and filtration.
The process and environmental costs are primarily those of the already-operating well; net environmental impacts may thus be positive.
The brine of United Downs Deep Geothermal Power project near Redruth is claimed by Cornish Lithium to be valuable due to its high lithium concentration (220 mg/l) with low magnesium (<5 mg/l) and total dissolved solids content of <29g/l, and a flow rate of 40-60l/s.
From ore
α-spodumene is roasted at 1100 °C for 1h to make β-spodumene, then roasted at 250 °C for 10 minutes with sulphuric acid.
As of 2020, Australia was the world’s largest producer of lithium intermediates, all based on spodumene.
In recent years many mining companies have begun exploration of lithium projects throughout North America, South America and Australia to identify economic deposits that can potentially bring new supplies of lithium carbonate online to meet the growing demand for the product.
From clay
Tesla Motors announced a revolutionary process to extract lithium from clay in Nevada using only salt and no acid. This was met with scepticism.
From end of life batteries
A few small companies are actively recycling spent batteries, mostly focusing on recovering copper and cobalt. Some do recover lithium also.
Other
In April 2017 MGX Minerals reported it had received independent confirmation of its rapid lithium extraction process to recover lithium and other valuable minerals from oil and gas wastewater brine.
Electrodialysis has been proposed to extract lithium from seawater, but it is not commercially viable.
Density: 2.1 g/cm3 (20 °C)
Melting Point: 720 °C
pH value: 9.0 – 11.0 (1 g/l, H₂O)
Bulk density: 250 kg/m3
Solubility: 13 g/l
Lithium carbonate is indicated as a monotherapy for the treatment of acute manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar 1 disorder in patients ≥7 years of age.
Lithium Carbonate is also indicated as a maintenance treatment for bipolar 1 disorder in patients ≥7 years of age.
Chemical formula: Li2CO3
Molar mass: 73.89 g/mol
Appearance: Odorless white powder
Density: 2.11 g/cm3
Melting point: 723 °C (1,333 °F; 996 K)
Boiling point: 1,310 °C (2,390 °F; 1,580 K)
Decomposes from: ~1300 °C
Solubility in water:
1.54 g/100 mL (0 °C)
1.43 g/100 mL (10 °C)
1.29 g/100 mL (25 °C)
1.08 g/100 mL (40 °C)
0.69 g/100 mL (100 °C)
Solubility product (Ksp): 8.15×10−4
Solubility: Insoluble in acetone, ammonia, alcohol
Magnetic susceptibility (χ): −27.0·10−6 cm3/mol
Refractive index (nD): 1.428
Viscosity:
4.64 cP (777 °C)
3.36 cP (817 °C)
Lithium carbonate
Lithium carbonate is synthesized by reacting lithium salts with soda or potash, followed by purification of the salt, which is not readily soluble.
The most common lithium drug is lithium carbonate, which possesses antimania action.
Lithium Carbonate is presumed that lithium alters the transport of sodium ions in neurons, thus influencing the intercellular contents of catecholamines, normalizing the mental state and not causing general lethargy.
Lithium Carbonate is used for mania conditions of various origins, preventative measures, and for treating affective psychoses.
Synonyms of this drug are eskalith, carbolith, cibalith, lithane, and others.
Natural occurrence
Natural lithium carbonate is known as zabuyelite.
This mineral is connected with deposits of some salt lakes and some pegmatites.
IUPAC name
Lithium carbonate
Formula: Li2CO3
Molecular mass: 73.9
Decomposes at 1310°C
Melting point: 723°C
Density: 2.1 g/cm³
Solubility in water, g/100ml: 1.3 (poor)
Lithium Carbonate is a water insoluble Lithium source that can easily be converted to other Lithium compounds, such as the oxide by heating (calcination).
Carbonate compounds also give off carbon dioxide when treated with dilute acids.
Lithium Carbonate is generally immediately available in most volumes.
High purity, submicron and nanopowder forms may be considered.
Lithium Carbonate is the best source of lithium oxide for glazes.
Lithium Carbonate is slightly soluble.
Lithium Carbonate is unusual to see more than 5% lithium carbonate in glaze.
Because of the low expansion of Li2O, high lithium glazes tend to shiver.
There are certain basic properties of lithium which are of interest in ceramics.
Since lithium has a very small ionic radius in comparison to the other alkali metals, it has a higher field strength.
Low expansion coefficients are generally imparted to ceramic compositions containing lithia.
Lithium carbonate is a very strong flux (also true of lithium fluoride).
In contrast, other lithium compounds may be quite refractory: lithium zirconate and lithium aluminum spinel are examples.
There is comparatively little published information on the use of lithia compounds in ceramics.
Laboratory investigations indicate that small additions of lithium will react with quartz during firing and eliminate the alpha-beta quartz transition in the cooling cycle.
Lithia imparts low thermal expansion coefficients to glasses and also promotes devitrification in glass systems.
Smaller amounts act to smooth the glass surface.
Lithium exhibits many properties that are similar to the more common alkali metals sodium and potassium.
In many respects is also shows similarities to the elements of the alkaline earth group, especially magnesium.
In addition to being soluble, lithium carbonate produces gases as it decomposes and these can cause pinholes or blisters in glazes.
There are insoluble lithium frits available (e.g. Fusion F-493 has 11%) and incorporating one of them to source the Li2O instead is a classic application of glaze chemistry calculations (however for glazes with very high amounts of lithium, like 10%+, it will be difficult to source the Li2O using a frit because significant amounts will be required and this will likely oversupply the other oxides the frit brings).
The resultant glaze will be more fusible and will have better clarity and fewer defects.
Other names:
Dilithium carbonate
Carbolith
Cibalith-S
Duralith
Eskalith
Lithane
Lithizine
Lithobid
Lithonate
Lithotabs Priadel
Zabuyelite
What is Lithium Carbonate and how is it used?
Lithium Carbonate is a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder.
Lithium Carbonate may be used alone or with other medications.
Lithium Carbonate belongs to a class of drugs called Bipolar Disorder Agents.
Lithium Carbonate is not known if Lithium Carbonate is safe and effective in children younger than 7 years of age.
This medication is used to treat manic-depressive disorder (bipolar disorder).
Lithium Carbonate works to stabilize the mood and reduce extremes in behavior by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain.
Some of the benefits of continued use of this medication include decreasing how often manic episodes occur and decreasing the symptoms of manic episodes such as exaggerated feelings of well-being, feelings that others wish to harm you, irritability, anxiousness, rapid/loud speech, and aggressive/hostile behaviors.
How to use lithium carbonate oral
There are different brands of this medication available.
They may not have the same effects.
Do not change brands without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Take this medication by mouth as directed by your doctor, usually 2-3 times daily.
Take lithium with or immediately after meals to lessen stomach upset.
Do not crush or chew this medication.
Doing so can release all of the drug at once, increasing the risk of side effects.
Also, do not split the tablets unless they have a score line and your doctor or pharmacist tells you to do so.
Swallow the whole or split tablet without crushing or chewing.
Drink 8 to 12 glasses (8 ounces or 240 milliliters each) of water or other fluid each day, and eat a healthy diet with normal amounts of salt (sodium) as directed by your doctor or dietician while taking this medication.
Large changes in the amount of salt in your diet may change your lithium blood levels.
Do not change the amount of salt in your diet unless your doctor tells you to do so.
Use this medication regularly to get the most benefit from it.
To help you remember, take it at the same times each day.
The dosage is based on your medical condition, lithium blood levels, and response to treatment.
This medication works best if the amount of the drug in your body is kept at a constant level.
Take this drug at evenly spaced intervals.
This medication must be taken exactly as prescribed.
Keep taking lithium even if you feel well.
Do not stop taking this drug without consulting your doctor.
Some conditions may become worse when this drug is suddenly stopped.
Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more details.
Tell your doctor if your condition does not improve or if it worsens.
Lithium Carbonate may take 1 to 3 weeks to notice improvement in your condition.
Quality Level: 100
assay: 99.997% trace metals basis
form: powder
impurities: ≤35.0 ppm Trace Metal Analysis
mp: 618 °C (lit.)
density: 2.11 g/mL at 25 °C
application(s): battery manufacturing
SMILES string: [Li+].[Li+].[O-]C([O-])=O
InChI: 1S/CH2O3.2Li/c2-1(3)4;;/h(H2,2,3,4);;/q;2*+1/p-2
InChI key: XGZVUEUWXADBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-L
You may remember seeing lithium as the pure element at school, fizzing across the surface of a beaker of water, and not expect to see such a reactive element in everyday life.
But we do encounter Lithium Carbonate, most often in the form of lithium carbonate, a simple inorganic compound with the formula Li2CO3, or its derivatives.
Lithium carbonate is found naturally as the mineral zabuyelite, first found in 1987 by the Tibetan lake Zabuye, but this is fairly rare.
Fortunately, Lithium Carbonate is easy enough to make from more readily available compounds, typically from lithium chloride which is found in mineral springs and pools, particularly in Chile and Argentina.
The carbonate was first noted by Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson in 1817, among a range of other lithium compounds he discovered.
The uses of lithium carbonate are surprisingly diverse for a substance that isn’t exactly well known.
Lithium Carbonate’s found in solid-state carbon dioxide detectors where its presence on the cathode contributes to an electrochemical reaction when the gas is present.
Lithium Carbonate has been used in the pyrotechnic colour palette of fireworks almost since its discovery, because it was found that lithium salts produced a bright red flame. And lithium carbonate plays a valuable role in ceramics and glasses.
Small amounts of lithium carbonate are used as fluxes to reduce the melting point of silica, particularly for glasses used in ovenware.
In the glazes used to give colour and sheen to ceramics, lithium carbonate does not act as a direct colorant but rather is used to increase the vibrancy of other compounds, notably iron oxide.
This versatile compound also finds its way into adhesives and cements to reduce the setting time.
Although the lithium compound in the positive electrodes of the familiar lithium-ion batteries that power our portable electronics is usually lithium cobalt oxide, this is manufactured from the carbonate.
The process involves grinding lithium carbonate and cobalt carbonate together at 900?C for around 60 hours – though low temperature methods are being developed.
Mention lithium in ordinary conversation, though, and the most controversial application of lithium carbonate is likely to come up: as medication for bipolar disorder.
Lithium carbonate found its way into the medicine chest less than thirty years after its discovery, when it was recommended first as a way of helping bladder stones dissolve and later for a range of illnesses from headaches and gout to rheumatism.
There seems to have been little good clinical evidence to back up many of these uses – the initial deployment was little more than folk medicine in a scientific guise.
This folk cure reputation meant that lithium found its way into patent medicines, and even a popular drink.
Many of the fizzy drinks we enjoy started life in a pharmacy, carrying some form of ‘pick you up’ drug – Coca-Johan August Arfwedson (1792 – 1841)Cola famously originally contained cocaine.
In 1929 a new drink was produced under the catchy name ‘Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda’ which contained lithium compounds until the 1940s.
Despite dropping this, one of the seven original ingredients that some believe give it its current name, the modern safe version of the beverage is still called 7 Up.
It wasn’t until 1949 that the American psychiatrist John Cade discovered that lithium carbonate was an effective treatment to stabilize the mania phase of what was then known as manic depression and is now called bipolar disorder.
This was an accidental discovery.
Cade had thought that there was a link between levels of uric acid in the urine and mental illness so he used lithium urate to increase the solubility of uric acid to improve its passage.
But Cade found that the mere presence of lithium ions was enough to help calm those suffering from mania.
The effect was dramatic, and made Cade assume that manic depression was caused by a shortage of lithium in the diet, corrected by the lithium carbonate.
This was incorrect – there seems to be no dietary requirement for lithium – but the result was that lithium was seen as a valuable medication to help treat bipolar disorder at a time when most interventions with mental illness were crude and, to the modern eye, unethical.
Compared with a lobotomy or electroconvulsive therapy, a treatment of lithium carbonate seemed a wonderful possibility.
Unfortunately, lithium treatment is not without its dangers.
If lithium levels rise too high it can result in death, and a number of patients perished before good tests to monitor those levels were established.
Because lithium interferes with a hormone that helps the kidneys reabsorb water from urine, it can easily result in severe dehydration.
The treatment also tends to produce side effects of feeling dazed and disconnected, with nausea and headaches also common.
Lithium Carbonate probably didn’t help that lithium carbonate, as a natural compound, could not be patented, leaving little reason for pharmaceutical companies to give it the research that could have made its use better controlled.
We now know that rather than feeding a lithium deficiency, the effect of lithium carbonate is likely to be its ability to interfere with various signalling pathways that can become overloaded during the mania phase of bipolar disorder.
The exact mechanism has not been determined, though it may be interfering with the potassium?-sodium pump mechanism that transports ions across cell membranes, or possibly by resetting the body’s circadian ‘clock’ which can be disrupted by bipolar disorder.
Lithium Carbonate still remains a valuable medication, though much more care is now given to dosage levels and monitoring to minimize side effects.
At first sight, lithium carbonate seems an uninspiring white powder – but its medical role and its ability to donate intense reds to fireworks and to brighten other colours in pottery glazes means that it has the potential to make lives a little better.
Compound Formula: CLi2O3
Molecular Weight: 73.9
Appearance White: powder
Melting Point: 618-723 °C
Boiling Point: 1310 °C (dec.)
Density: 2.11 g/cm3
Solubility in H2O: 1.29 g/100 mL (25 °C)
Refractive Index: 1.428
Specific Heat: 97.4 J/mol·K
Exact Mass: 74.016752
Monoisotopic Mass: 74.016754 Da
Lithium Carbonate Dosage and Administration
Pre-treatment Screening
Before initiating treatment with lithium, renal function, vital signs, serum electrolytes, and thyroid function should be evaluated.
Concurrent medications should be assessed, and if the patient is a woman of childbearing potential, pregnancy status and potential should be considered.
Recommended Dosage
See Table 1 for dosage recommendations for acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder in adult and pediatric patients (7 to 17 years).
Obtain serum lithium concentration assay after 3 days, drawn 12 hours after the last oral dose and regularly until patient is stabilized.
Fine hand tremor, polyuria, and thirst may occur during initial therapy for the acute manic phase and may persist throughout treatment.
Nausea and general discomfort may also appear during the first few days of lithium administration.
These adverse reactions may subside with continued treatment, concomitant administration with food, or temporary reduction or cessation of dosage.
LITHIUM CARBONATE
554-13-2
Dilithium carbonate
Lithonate
Lithobid
Lithane
Carbonic acid, dilithium salt
Eskalith
Lithotabs
Carbonic acid lithium salt
Liskonum
Lithizine
Micalith
Priadel
Limas
Eskalith CR
Camcolit
Carbolitium
Neurolepsin
Candamide
Carbolith
Eutimin
Hypnorex
Lithicarb
Lithinate
Lithionate
Liticar
Manialith
Maniprex
Litard
Lithea
Plenur
Quilonum retard
Pfi-lithium
Lithium Phasal
Pfl-Lithium
Litho-Carb
NSC-16895
Carbolithium
UNII-2BMD2GNA4V
CP-15467-61
Lithium carbonate (Li2CO3)
MFCD00011084
2BMD2GNA4V
CHEBI:6504
Carbonic acid lithium salt (Li2CO3)
Lithium carbonate (2:1)
CP-15,467-61
Carbonic acid, lithium salt (1:2)
CP 15467-61
Ceglution
Phasal
Teralithe [French]
Lithium Carbonate Nanoparticles
Teralithe
Lithium, Reference Standard Solution
Lithium carbonicum
Li2 (C O3)
Carbonic Acid Dilithium Salt
CCRIS 3153
HSDB 3351
EINECS 209-062-5
Carbolithium IFI
Lithium QD
Eskalith (TN)
Lithobid (TN)
Lithium carbonate [USAN:USP:JAN]
ACMC-209lmw
Lithium Carbonate Powder
CLi2O3
Li2CO3
dilithium trioxidocarbonate
EC 209-062-5
CHEMBL1200826
DTXSID1023784
Lithium carbonate (JP17/USP)
STR02638
Lithium carbonate, ACS reagent grade
AKOS015904647
ANGC-554-13-2
DB14509
I494
B7705
CP-1546761
FT-0627895
L0224
C07964
D00801
Dilithium Carbonate, Dilithium Salt, Carbonic Acid
Q410174