Kyle Solomon

Mrs. Watson
Period 4
19 May, 2014
Lithium Nitrate
Lithium nitrate is a unique compound that has many different uses. It has different
characteristics, chemical and physical properties, uses and safety measures. Lithium nitrate has
an ionic bond between lithium and nitrate. The reason the compound is made up of a ionic bond
is because Lithium is a metal and Nitrate is a polyatomic ion.
Lithium nitrates characteristics consist of an average mass of 68.9459 Da a
monoisotopic mass of 69.003822 Da and a molecular formula of LiNO
3
(Royal Society of
Chemistry). In addition, lithium nitrate has a density of 2.38 g/L and its water solubility is 90
g/L at 28C (Beijing University of Chemical Technology). According to the National Fire
Protection Association, it has a Health Hazard rating of 2, a flammability rating of 0, and a
reactivity rating of 0 (MSDS, Sigma-Aldrich). Lithium is used in medicine for people with
bipolar disorder and nitrate is used as an oxidizing agent.
Lithium nitrates appearance is a white crystal like substance according to the Royal
Society of Chemistry. The Beijing University of Chemical Technology describes lithium nitrate
as a white to yellow colored crystalline solid that is denser than water and can cause irritation.
Lithium nitrate has a melting point of 264C and a boiling point of 600C (Royal Society of
Chemistry). It is soluble in water, accelerates in burning, may explode if exposed to excessive
fire, and is a helpful oxidizing agent (Beijing University of Chemical Technology).
Solomon 2


Lithium nitrate has many different uses. One way it was used was in a study by a man
named David Biello in which he used lithium nitrate to store energy from the sun during the day,
and then use the energy at night when the sun went down to try and have a source of solar energy
almost 24 hours a day. He also found that lithium nitrate could be useful in making red
fireworks (Biello). A civil engineering company found that lithium nitrate can be used to test the
combined effects of fly ash, which is a fine and powdered residue mostly made up of silica, and
lithium admixture, which is just a compound that contains lithium in it, in a mitigating alkali-
silica reaction (Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering). This is significant because lithium
nitrate can be used to increase the strength and corrosion resistance in concrete.
Lithium nitrate can be a very dangerous compound to experiment with under certain
conditions. You need to make sure proper equipment is worn and used. You must make sure to
always wear safety goggles, gloves, a lab coat, and ensure you are in a room with adequate
ventilation (Royal Society of Chemistry). Injuries that can occur from experimenting with
lithium nitrate include eye and skin irritation, chocking, and vomiting (MSDS, Sigma-Aldrich).
Proper procedures for injuries are to wash eyes and hands for 15 minutes, remove tight clothing
such as belts, ties, and wristbands or watches, and get immediate help (MSDS, Sigma-Aldrich).
Lithium Nitrate is a very intriguing compound to study and learn about. I would like to
learn about it in class but I dont think that it would be possible to do because it is so dangerous
to work with. It is interesting what it is used for in the real world and I would like to witness a
reaction that this compound has with other elements in real life or how scientists use it in real
life.