Lithium Ion

The colourless univalent lithium ion, Li^•, is characterized by the formation of salts of slight solubility with the anions of carbonic, hydrofluoric, and phosphoric acid, a distinction from the ions of the other alkali-metals, and an indication of the smaller electro- affinity of the lithium ion. The comparatively low electroaffinity corresponds with that of strontium, and is associated with the power of the lithium salts to form complexes with ammonia in aqueous solution, and with water to yield various crystalline hydrates. In solution in water and in various organic solvents, such as methyl and ethyl alcohol, the lithium salts are highly dissociated. The electric conductivity of their dilute aqueous solutions has been investigated by Ostwald, Franke, and Kohlrausch and Maltby. The electric conductivity of the lithium ion at 18° C. is 33.4. References to other work on the properties of lithium salt-solutions are appended.