Lithium

Atomic number

3

Atomic mass (u)

7.0

Category

Alkali metal

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

180.5 °C (453.65 K)

Boiling point

1341.85 °C (1615 K)

Density (g/cm³)

0.534

Electronegativity (Pauling)

0.98

Electron configuration

[He]2s1

Oxidation states

+1

Atomic radius (pm)

182

First ionization energy (eV)

5.392

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

1817

Discovery credited to (RSC)

Johan August Arfvedson

Date or period recorded by RSC

1817

Discovery place

Stockholm, Sweden (element identified); Utö, Sweden (source mineral)

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

The creation of an element’s nuclei and its concentration into terrestrial deposits are different processes. The occurrence note below concerns its presence or production on Earth; it is not a complete account of nucleosynthesis.

“Lithium does not occur as the metal in nature, but is found combined in small amounts in nearly all igneous rocks and…”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

Continue the research

Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.