Lithium carbonate production

Kirkwood, C.K., Wilson, S.K., Hayes, P.E., Barr, W.H., Sarkar, M.A., and Ettigi, P.G. (1994) Single-dose bioavailability of two extended-release lithium carbonate products. Am J Hasp Pharm 51 486-489. 

Table 9.5 contrasts the average pharmacokinetic valnes of various lithium carbonate products derived from a single 900-mg lithinm carbonate dose. 

From an economic point of view, today the majority of lithium-carbonate production comes from lithium-rich brines spodumene and, to a lesser extent, petahte ore concentrates are only mined for use in the glass and ceramic industries. Five major companies control the world s supply of lithium-mineral concentrates. 

For chemicals, lithium carbonate is the best raw material. Preparing the carbonate from spodumene is an energy-intensive and costly process. Because of that most lithium carbonate production has shifted to chemical treatment of brines. Lithium metal is obtained by electrolysis of a salt melt containing 55% lithium chloride and 45% potassium chloride, a mixture that melts at 352°C. The metal is rolled into thin foils that can used as anodes in lithium batteries, but it can also be plated onto foils of copper or nickel. 

From the final pond the concentrated brine (Table 1.3) with a density of about 1.25 g/cc was pumped nearly 4.8 km (3 mi 1.5 mi in 1967, Gadsby, 1967) to the processing plant in the town of Silver Peak. The plant had been converted from a silver ore cyanide-leach plant that had operated there from 1864-1961. In the conversion all of the tanks and settlers were rubber lined to reduce iron contamination in the product, and considerable new equipment was added. The solar pond brine was first reacted with lime to remove most of the residual magnesium and some of the sulfate and borate ions, and then a small amount of soda ash was added to precipitate most of the calcium from the lime reactions. The slurry from these operations was settled and filtered, and the overflow solution sent to storage tanks. From there the brine was pumped through filter presses to be totally clarified, and then heated to 93°C (200°F lithium carbonate has an inverse solubility) and reacted with dry soda ash and hot wash and make-up waters to precipitate the lithium carbonate product. Extra water was added to prevent salt from crystallizing, since the pond brine was samrated with salt. The lithium carbonate slurry was thickened in a bank of cyclones, and the underflow fed to a vacuum belt filter where it was washed and dewatered. The cyclone overflow and filtrate were... 

The lithium carbonate production capacity of various companies over the years to 2002 is listed in Table 1.43. The primary producers in 2002 were (1) SQM Chemicals, with a capacity of 22,000 mt/yr of LCE from the Salar de Atacama in Chile. (2) Chemetall GmbH (who acquired the former Cyprus Foote Minerals) with 16,000 mt/yr capacity on the Salar de Atacama, and 5700 mt/yr from Clayton Valley in Nevada. And (3) FMC with 20,000 mt/yr of idle capacity from the Salar de Hombre Muerto, Argentina (Jarvis, 2000 Sailer and O Driscoll, 2000). 

Estimated based upon the assumed lithium carbonate production from Clayton Valley. 

Anon. (1984b). Argentine Project Demonstrates Reserves for Lithium Brines. Mining Eng., 660 (July). Archambault, M., and OUvier, C. (1963). Lithium Carbonate Production. U.S. Patent 3,112,171, 7 pp. (Nov. 26). 

Whereas new appHcations of lithium compounds were developed, commercial growth was slow. In 1953 worldwide sales of lithium products, expressed as lithium carbonate, were only ca 1000 metric tons (2). In 1954 the U.S. lithium industry underwent a sudden, very large expansion when the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission required large amounts of lithium hydroxide [1310-65-2] for its nuclear weapons program (see Nuclearreactors). Three domestic producers built 4500-t/yr plants to meet contract commitments with the U.S. government. When these government contracts ended in 1960, capacity exceeded demand and several operations were discontinued. 

Lithium. In the lithium carbonate treatment of certain psychotic states, a low incidence (3.6%) of hypothyroidism and goiter production have been observed as side effects (6,36) (see Psychopharmacologicalagents). It has been proposed that the mechanism of this action is the inhibition of adenyl cyclase. Lithium salts have not found general acceptance in the treatment of hyperthyroidism (see Lithiumand lithium compounds). 

The United States produces and consumes about one-half of all the wodd production. Ore grades for the two principal nonbrine producers are becoming poor, and imports of brine-based lithium carbonate are increa sing. 

Among many polar aprotic solvents, including ethers, BL, PC, and ethylene carbonate (EC), methyl formate (MF) seems to be the most reactive towards lithium. It is reduced to lithium formate as a major product which precipitates on the lithium surface and passivates it [24], The presence of trace amounts of the two expected contaminants, water and methanol, in MF solutions does not affect the surface chemistry. C02 in MF causes the formation of a passive film containing both lithium formate and lithium carbonate. 

Fichter and Kern O first reported that uric acid could be electrochemically oxidized. The reaction was studied at a lead oxide electrode but without control of the anode potential. Under such uncontrolled conditions these workers found that in lithium carbonate solution at 40-60 °C a yield of approximately 70% of allantoin was obtained. In sulfuric acid solution a 63% yield of urea was obtained. A complete material balance was not obtained nor were any mechanistic details developed. In 1962 Smith and Elving 2) reported that uric acid gave a voltammetric oxidation peak at a wax-impregnated spectroscopic graphite electrode. Subsequently, Struck and Elving 3> examined the products of this oxidation and reported that in 1 M HOAc complete electrochemical oxidation required about 2.2 electrons per molecule of uric acid. The products formed were 0.25 mole C02,0.25 mole of allantoin or an allantoin precursor, 0.75 mole of urea, 0.3 mole of parabanic acid and 0.30 mole of alloxan per mole of uric acid oxidized. On the basis of these products a scheme was developed whereby uric acid (I, Fig. 1) is oxidized in a primary 2e process to a shortlived dicarbonium ion (Ha, lib, Fig. 1) which, being unstable, under-... 

Several compounds of lithium are used as pharmaceuticals to treat severe psychotic depression (as antidepressant agents). And lithium carbonate is also used as a sedative or mild tranquilizer to treat less severe anxiety, which is a general feeling of uneasiness or distress about present condition or future uncertainties. Lithium is also used in the production of vitamin A. 

Lithium carbonate is obtained as an intermediate product in recovery of lithium metal from its ore, spodumene (See Lithium). It is prepared by mixing a hot and concentrated solution of sodium carbonate with lithium chloride or sulfate solution. 

Lithium Metavanadate, LiV03.2H20, forms brilliant, silky needles when lithium carbonate (1 mol.) and vanadium pentoxide (1 mol.) are boiled together in water and the product concentrated in a vacuum.5 It melts at 618° C.6 and is readily soluble in water. 

The polymerization of styrene with less anionic butyllithium has been studied by several workers (31, 32, 33). The results of Tobolsky and Boudreau (34) showed that the butyllithium polymerization of styrene follows the electronic behavior of an anionic reaction. Electron releasing groups on the aromatic ring decreased the reactivity of the monomer. Braun and co-workers and Worsfold and Bywater (35) have studied the production of isotactic polystyrene by butyllithium catalysis. Worsfold and Bywater found that water plays an important role in the isotactic polymerization and concluded that the production of lithium hydroxide in situ is important for the isotactic steric control. Added lithium butoxide, lithium methoxide or lithium carbonate were not effective. They concluded the associated forms of butyllithium do not produce isotactic steric control but require association with lithium hydroxide. 

DAB- Cover the section with this substrate, and incubate the slide for 5 min The product is brown, and is stable m alcohols and in xylene. Counterstain with Mayer s hemalum for 5 mm Wash in tap water. Dip the slide in saturated lithium carbonate for a few seconds this makes the nuclear stain blue. Wash m tap water Dehydrate through ethanol and xylene (or Histoclear), and mount in a permanent mountant, e.g, DPX... 

Dansyl chloride and phenylisothiocyanate (PITC) are the derivatizating agents most used in UV detection. Dansyl chloride reacts with the primary and secondary amino groups of peptides in a basic medium (pH 9.5), forming dansylated derivatives that are very stable to hydrolysis but are photosensitive. The derivatives are detectable in UV at 254 nm and by fluorescence. Dansyl sulfonic acid is formed as a by-product of the reaction, and excess reagent reacts with the dansyl derivatives to form dansyl amide the conditions of derivatization must therefore be optimized in order to avoid the formation of such by-products to the extent possible. The conditions of the reaction with dansyl chloride and of the separation of the derivatives thus formed have been thoroughly studied (83,84). Martin et al. (85) carried out derivatization using an excess concentration of dansyl chloride of 5 -10-fold in a basic medium (lithium carbonate, pH 9.5) in darkness for 1 h. 

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