Lithium: the ‘white gold’ of our renewable future
Dubbed the “white gold” of the future because of its vital role in the development of electric vehicles, lithium is a unique metal with many interesting properties. Learn how it is used, where it is mined and what the future holds for this unique metal. Unique properties; Pure lithium is very soft and can be sliced with a butter knife. It is the lightest metal and the least dense of all metals, making it buoyant in water. Lithium, which has a glossy grey appearance, glows bright red when thrown into a fire. This surprising reaction led Brazilian mineralogist Jozé Bonifácio de Andralda e Silva to discover the first lithium paralite in the 1790s on the Swedish island of Uto. It wasn't until 1855 that someone completely separated the metals. British chemist Augustus Matthiessen and German chemist Robert Bunsen separated the elements by passing an electric current through lithium chloride. Lithium, modestly named after the Greek word for "stone,...
