The lightest metal

Speaking of the lightest metal in the metal, of course, it啦lithium. The proportion of lithium is only 0.534, about half of the water, even the aluminum than 4 times its weight, using an ordinary knife can easily cut a few pieces of it. Unlike ordinary metal as lithium used to make various objects were found in its many years of rarely used. Until the First World War, the German industrial production in urgent need of tin, but the lack of tin mineral raw materials. People have to find substitutes, lithium only emerge at this time, but it also began to show their talents. The needs of modern technology, optical materials, not only through the visible light, but also through the ultraviolet, X-rays, at the same time, but also has good thermal stability, high resistivity and low dielectric loss. Lithium has a glass on the optical properties of this valuable, so the TV screen using a lithium glass. Difficult to capture an ordinary telescope of distant stellar radiation, and therefore rarely used in astronomical observations. Using crystal made of LiF lens, mounted on an astronomical telescope, due to UV LiF the highest degree of transparency, astronomers can use it to perceive things hidden in the deepest mysteries of the Milky Way. Or to create high-energy lithium battery of important raw materials. The international community in 1977 there is a coin-shaped lithium-ion battery, the diameter of 23 millimeters, 2.5 millimeters thick, less than 5 coins so much, it is suitable for micro-, low-profile use of electronic devices. This lithium battery for low power consumption liquid crystal display of the desktop computer can be used continuously for 5 to 10 years without replacement. Lithium batteries used to start the car, low-cost, do not pollute the atmosphere. Alkaline batteries are the electrolytic solution of sodium hydroxide, if adding a few grams in which lithium hydroxide, the battery can double the life, the application temperature range of batteries has also increased. When the temperature dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius, the electrolyte will not Solidification; When the temperature rose to 40 degrees, it will not discharge. Japan has used to create a lithium electrode, installed in the electrolyzer, the zinc electrode used than the original capacity of the electrolyzer 5 to 6 times. Some organic compounds of lithium, such as lithium stearate, lithium, such as palmitic acid, the temperature changes in the environment, performance can be maintained, is an ideal lubricant. Such lubricants in the automotive parts easily add a mill, you can use on a permanent basis. Even in Antarctica 60 degrees below zero on the ice, lithium lubricant纵横驰骋car can still not frozen. Lithium is an ideal rocket fuel. Rocket takes a great deal of power to overcome gravity to fly into outer space. Kerosene have been considered to be the most effective, the use of liquid oxygen so the fuel-oxidant, and its heat for the 2,300 kcal / kg. Now, beryllium and lithium by scientists think it is rocket fuel used for the best metal. After the lithium metal fuel combustion heat release up to 10,270 kcal / kg. In the atomic energy industry, lithium also show their talents. Scientists have found that the isotope lithium -6 neutron nuclei is very easy for them to split. Lithium absorption of a neutron per -6, lithium nucleus becomes unstable, sometimes evolve into two new atoms: helium and tritium. At very high temperatures, tritium and deuterium atoms released at the same time a great combination of thermal energy. Among sub-bombardment of lithium by the isotopes deuterium and -6 synthesis of compounds of lithium deuteride, the strong have a thermonuclear reaction. Therefore, tritium and lithium has become the ideal of a nuclear reactor fuel, it should be cheaper than uranium. Lithium reactors will not form a radioactive fission products, nuclear reactions are more easily controlled.