Lithium requirement

In the molecule Li2 the bond involves a hybrid atomic orbital as+bp formed from the 2s orbital and one of the much less stable 2p orbitals. It is shown below that the amount of p character of this bond orbital (equal to b2, with a2 + b2 = 1) is small, being about 8%. On the other hand, if each of the atoms in metallic lithium requires a bond orbital and a metallic orbital and the two are equivalent they will be 2- -p) and 2 t(s —p), with 50 % p character. The analysis of energy quantities supports this conclusion. 

The most common is augmentation is with the mood stabiliser lithium carbonate. Indeed, lithium may be effective as monotherapy for depression but is not preferred because of its adverse effect profile and need for plasma concentration monitoring. Its prescription in combination with antidepressants that have failed to produce remission is more usual and evidence suggests that up to 50% of patients who have not responded to standard antidepressants can respond after lithium augmentation. Addition of lithium requires careful titration of the plasma concentration up to the therapeutic range, with periodic checks thereafter and monitoring for toxicity (see p. 389). 

The normative lithium requirement of humans is assessed at < 100 tg per day, as all German test subjects of both genders took in between < 100 and > 3500 tg Li per day without showing deficiency symptoms, even at the lowest intake amounts (Anke etal. 1995, 1997b). However, deficiency symptoms may occur in dialysis patients, in kidney failure and in parenteral nutrition. Based on intake data in different countries, Schrauzer (2002) suggested a provisional recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 1 mg Li per day for a 70-kg adult. Compared with the above intake data, therapeutic effectiveness in the treatment of manic-depressive disorders is achieved at doses of 140 to 280 mg Li per day - about 100 to 300 times higher than RDA (Schou... 

Step 3 Using the mole ratio from the balanced equation, we can calculate the moles of lithium required to react with 2.00 mol of nitrogen. 

Extremely high toxic levels of lithium require hemodialysis and supportive care. 

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