Characteristic

Lithium tungstate is the inorganic compound with the formula Li₂WO₄. It is a white solid that is soluble in water. The compound is one of the several orthotungstates, compounds that feature the tetrahedral WO₄²⁻ anion.

Chemical formula：Li₂WO₄

Appearance white： solid

Density： 4.56 g/cm³

Application

Lithium tungstate is used to produce high density aqueous polytungstate (metatungstate) solutions. Like other high density fluids, such solutions are often used in the separation of minerals and other solids. These can achieve a density of 2.95 at 25°C and up to 3.6 in hot water.

This use of lithium and sodium tungstate anions was developed in the 1980s and early 1990s to address toxicity and safety issues with the existing organic high density fluids. Unlike methylene iodide and bromoform, polytungstates and heteropolytungstates can be more safely be used in an indoor environment without a fume hood with only ordinary common sense safety precautions such as protective gloves and safety glasses.