Lithium nitrate

Crystal structure
__ Li +      __ N      __ O
General
Surname	Lithium nitrate
Ratio formula	LiNO 3
Brief description	colorless, deliquescent solid
External identifiers / databases
CAS number 7790-69-4 EC number 232-218-9 ECHA InfoCard 100.029.290 PubChem 10129889 Wikidata Q420146
properties
Molar mass	68.95 g mol −1
Physical state	firmly
density	2.36 g cm −3
Melting point	255 ° C
boiling point	Decomposition> 600 ° C
solubility	good (522 g l −1 at 20 ° C) in water soluble in ethanol
safety instructions
GHS labeling of hazardous substances Caution H and P phrases H: 272-302-319 P: 301 + 312-210-305 + 351 + 338
Toxicological data	1426 mg kg −1 ( LD 50 ,  rat ,  oral )
As far as possible and customary, SI units are used. Unless otherwise noted, the data given apply to standard conditions .

Lithium nitrate is a chemical compound with the empirical formula LiNO ₃ , which occurs naturally in the form of the trihydrate LiNO ₃ · 3 H ₂ O. It is the lithium salt of nitric acid .

Extraction and presentation

Lithium nitrate is produced by reacting lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide with nitric acid.

${\displaystyle \mathrm {Li_{2}CO_{3}+2\ HNO_{3}\longrightarrow 2\ LiNO_{3}+\ CO_{2}+\ H_{2}O} }$

${\displaystyle \mathrm {LiOH+\ HNO_{3}\longrightarrow \ LiNO_{3}+\ H_{2}O} }$

properties

The colorless, hygroscopic salt has a molar mass of 68.95 g / mol, a density of 2.36 g · cm ⁻³ and a melting temperature of 264 ° C. At temperatures above 600 ° C, decomposition takes place. Lithium nitrate is very soluble in ethanol and water. In addition to the anhydrous crystal form, lithium nitrate also occurs as a trihydrate, which gives off its water of crystallization at 28.8 ° C. Supercooled melts of the hydrate are very stable, but can be instantly made to crystallize by adding crystalline lithium nitrate.

use

Contrary to popular belief, LiNO _{3 is} not used for red light or signal sets. At the flame temperatures typical for pyrotechnic flares, there is always a strong excitation of the Li sub-series lines, which creates an overall red-orange color impression, which can, however, be achieved more easily by using calcium salts. Lithium nitrate is used as a heat transfer medium . It can also be used to produce other lithium compounds. Lithium nitrate is also sold in a mixture with potassium nitrate as Sabalith . This low-melting eutectic is used for the salt bath vulcanization of rubber compounds. Lithium nitrate trihydrate was also used to cool the lander of the Venera mission , as it absorbs heat when it melts (melting point of the trihydrate approx. 30 ° C) and thus ensures a continuous temperature of 30 ° C until it is completely melted.

Crystalline lithium nitrate

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} entry on lithium nitrate. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on July 15, 2014.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} data sheet lithium nitrate (PDF) from Merck , accessed on January 19, 2011.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Entry on lithium nitrate in the GESTIS substance database of the IFA , accessed on July 23, 2016(JavaScript required) .
4. ↑ Lithium nitrate data sheet from Sigma-Aldrich , accessed on April 8, 2011 ( PDF ).
5. ^ ^{A b} A. F. Holleman , E. Wiberg , N. Wiberg : Textbook of Inorganic Chemistry . 101st edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-11-012641-9 , p. 1154.
6. ^ DL Perry, SL Phillips: Handbook of Inorganic Compounds: An Electronic Database. CRC Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-8493-8671-8 , p. 228.
7. ^ AN Campbell: The Systems: LiNO ₃ -NH ₄ NO ₃ and LiNO ₃ -NH ₄ NO ₃ -H ₂ O. In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. 64, 1942, pp. 2680-2684, doi: 10.1021 / ja01263a043 .
8. ↑ E.-C. Koch: Evaluation of Lithium Compounds as Color Agents for Pyrotechnic Flames . In: J. Pyrotech 13 , 2001 , 1. ( abstract ).
9. ↑ European patent EP0363678 1989 , Metzler GmbH.
10. ^ Winnacker, Küchler: Chemical technology: processes and products. (PDF; 2.3 MB) 2006 , Wiley-VCH Weinheim, ISBN 3-527-31578-0 .
11. ↑ www.Bernd-leitenberger.de .