response to Troys Li-Ion post

[Rcmaster199 at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/1/2003 10:47:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
khoard at midsouth.rr.com writes:


> Subj:Re: response to Troys Li-Ion post 
> Date:9/1/2003 10:47:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time
> From:<A HREF="mailto:khoard at midsouth.rr.com">khoard at midsouth.rr.com</A>
> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:discussion at nsrca.org">discussion at nsrca.org</A>
> To:<A HREF="mailto:discussion at nsrca.org">discussion at nsrca.org</A>
> Sent from the Internet 
> 
> 
> 
> Gentlemen,
>  
>     This may have been covered already. . . but if I remember my high school 
> chemistry classes, doesn't Lithium rank right up there with Sodium as far as 
> being dangerous in the presence of oxygen?
>  
>  
> Keith L. Hoard
> Cordova, TN
> 

Right you are Keith, except the term "dangerous" is unfortunate. I would use 
"reactive", which means alot of good can happen from the reaction with the 
metal.

I worked with Sodium metal a little in Chem Lab. The metal is extremely 
reactive, so much so that it is stored in heavy saturated oil to keep moisture 
away. Very cool material. When allowed to come in contact with water, as in 
"dropped in a beaker full" , I'd get a super display of  bubbles of, you guessed it, 
hydrogen gas. Common dilute lye (sodium hydroxide) was left in the beaker

Lithium is far more reactive than Sodium. I have never worked with Li; its 
potential energy is such that it can autoignite in the presence of most any 
oxidizer. This is even Kooler material.

Speaking of oxidizers, did you know that carbon doxide is also an oxidizer 
when certain conditions exist? But I digress

Li, is the most "electropositive" material around (to use a Chemist term) and 
that makes it well suited for batteries of highest potential. No, It isn't an 
"ideal" material because it is so reactive, but alot of really smart folks 
have figured out how to protect the metal in a battery and keep it away from 
oxidizers, such that the reaction that does take place in the battery, is 
reversible (another Chemist term that means, you guessed it, rechargeable).

Matt K

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