Lithium (from Greek:λίθος lithos, "stone") is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silver-white metal belonging to the alkali metal group of chemical elements. Under standard conditions it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element.
Three reasons Lithium stands out
- 1
Used in rechargeable batteries.
- 2
It is the lightest of all metals and can actually float on water.
- 3
Used as a mood-stabilising medication to treat bipolar disorder.
From ancient brines to modern batteries
Lithium is the lightest metal, soft enough to cut yet chemically eager to surrender an electron. That electron movement makes lithium compounds valuable in rechargeable cells. The element also travels through a very different world: carefully measured lithium salts have long been used in psychiatric medicine.