Lithium Chloride (LiCl)-Crystalline

Characteristic

Lithium chloride is a chemical compound with the formula LiCl. The salt is a typical ionic compound, although the small size of the Li+ ion gives rise to properties not seen for other alkali metal chlorides

Chemical formula：LiCl

Molar mass：42.39 g/mol

Appearance：white solid hygroscopic, sharp

Density：2.068 g/cm³

Melting point：605–614 °C (1,121–1,137 °F; 878–887 K)

Boiling point：1,382 °C (2,520 °F; 1,655 K)

Solubility in water：68.29 g/100 mL (0 °C);74.48 g/100 mL (10 °C);84.25 g/100 mL (25 °C);88.7 g/100 mL (40 °C);123.44 g/100 mL (100 °C)

Solubility：soluble in hydrazine, methylformamide, butanol, selenium(IV) oxychloride, propanol

Application

Lithium chloride is useful for the production of lithium metal and for the generation of Mn(0) species which can be used in free radical cyclizations. It can serve as a flame colorant to generate dark red flames, a brazing flux for aluminum in automobiles, a hygrometer and a desiccant for drying air streams. On exposure to air, it becomes a solution with the concentration directly related to relative humidity of the atmosphere and hence serves as a relative humidity standard in calibrating hygrometers. Apart from being a source of chloride, it serves as an additive in the Stille reaction in organic synthesis and to precipitate RNA from cellular extracts. Being biologically significant, it finds applications in a wide variety of assays to study cell-fate and neurobiology. Lithium chloride has been found to inhibit virus infection.