yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Lithium 101 | National Geographic


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

(clanging)

[Narrator] Over the course of human history, fuel for industry has come in many forms. But one of the major drivers of development in the current technological age is a highly volatile element that makes up only 0.002% of the Earth's crust. Such a rare commodity has become the bedrock of industry and may be the key to the future of civilization.

Lithium, a soft, silver gray metal, is the third lightest element in the universe. Originally discovered in 1817 in a piece of volcanic stone, lithium was named after the Greek word for stone, lithos. Ever since its discovery, lithium has been found to be incredibly versatile, including strengthening glass and refining metal alloys. But probably the most popular use of lithium is in lithium batteries.

Holding a charge for longer than traditional batteries, lithium batteries are often used to power devices as small as smartphones and laptops and as large as electric vehicles. The versatility of lithium has helped catapult many technological developments largely due to the metal's unique chemical properties.

Lithium is classified as an alkali metal. When combined with water, the metal forms alkalis or chemicals that stabilize acidic solutions. Additionally, lithium is heat resistant, having extraordinarily high melting and boiling points, causing it to be capable of storing large amounts of energy.

Lithium is also highly reactive in that it readily loses one of its electrons to form new bonds, thereby creating a positive charge. Altogether, these properties allow the metal to serve as the receiving point of negatively charged particles, helping create a powerful electrical current in lithium batteries.

But because of lithium's reactivity, it does not naturally occur in its pure elemental metal form. It's often found as a component of chemical compounds and sourced from hard rock minerals, sea water, or salt water reservoirs called brines.

Lithium deposits are scattered around the globe, but over 75% of the world's entire supply of lithium is found in Chile and Bolivia. Within the past few decades, the presence of lithium in these South American countries has drawn the attention of federal and commercial entities from around the world hoping to extract one of the most sought-after natural resources on the planet.

By extracting a natural resource as valuable as lithium, these entities may fuel and help shape the future of technology and industry.

More Articles

View All
If we extend lifespan, the greatest challenge is going to be boredom
If we extend lifespan, the greatest challenge is going to be boredom. Because the pattern seems to be that when you’re young, you’re amused by very short-term games. You’re amused by playing soap bubbles or Legos that are right in front of you and have no…
Walking in Miep's Footsteps | A Small Light | National Geographic
[Music] Meat Piece was Otto Frank’s secretary, and she was a very close friend of the Frank family. They actually met in 1933. She was the first person he asked when he decided they needed to go and hide in the annex, and she immediately said yes. I knew…
Help Khan Academy supercharge learning
Hi everyone, Sal Khan here from Khan Academy, which you probably know is a not-for-profit with a mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. And not-for-profit means no one owns Khan Academy. We are a public charity. You own …
Why Design Matters: Lessons from Stripe, Lyft and Airbnb
Today on design review, we’ll be doing something a little bit different. I’ll be interviewing Katie Dill, Stripe’s head of design. The gravitational pull is to mediocrity. It’s never easy. There is no black and white answer of like, “Oh, you ship it when …
Facebook's (Meta's) Secret World Domination Plan
Almost half of the world’s population uses one of Mela’s services every month. Facebook and Instagram combined hold over 75 percent of the social media market share, and WhatsApp has become the world’s default instant messaging app. This is the story of h…
Random numbers for experimental probability | Probability | AP Statistics | Khan Academy
Pascale Rickets has invented a game called Three Rolls to Ten. You roll a fair six-sided die three times. If the sum of the rolls is 10 or greater, you win. If it is less than ten, you lose. What is the probability of winning Three Rolls to Ten? So, ther…