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    lithium (Li)

    lithium
    A sample of lithium freshly cut
    A soft, silvery, reactive metallic element. Lithium is the lightest of all metals and the least reactive of the alkali metals, which occur in group 1 of the periodic table. It is used as a heat-transfer medium and in various alloys, ceramics, and optical forms of glass. Its two stable isotopes are the rarer 6Li, with three protons and three neutrons, and the more common 7Li, with three protons and four neutrons.

    Some lithium was formed in the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang, along with huge amounts of hydrogen and helium.

    Lithium was discovered by J. A. Arfvedson in Stockholm in 1817. Its name comes from the Greek lithos for "stone".


    atomic number 3
    relative atomic mass 6.941
    electron configuration 1s22s1
    atomic radius 152 pm
    relative density 0.534 (room temp)
    melting point 180.5 °C (357.0 °F)
    boiling point 1,342 °C (2,448 °F)


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