WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements | Lithium

Lithium compounds: dilithium oxide

The lithium in dilithium oxide formally is in the oxidation state 1.

Dilithium oxide

Formula as often written: Li₂O
Hill system formula: Li₂O₁
CAS registry number: [12057-24-8]
Formula weight: 29.881
Class: oxide

Synonyms

dilithium oxide
lithium(I) oxide
lithium oxide

Physical properties

Colour: white
Appearance: crystalline solid
Melting point: 1570°C
Boiling point:
Density: 2013 kg m^-3

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Element analysis

Element percentages for the elements in dilithium oxide
Element	%
Li	46.46
O	53.54

Synthesis

When lithium is burned in air, the main product is the white oxide lithium oxide, Li₂O. In addition, some lithium peroxide, Li₂O₂, also white, is produced. It can also be made through the thermal decomposition of lithium hydroxide, LiOH, or lithium peroxide, Li₂O₂

4Li(s) + O₂(g) → 2Li₂O(s)

2LiOH(s) + heat → Li₂O(s) + H₂O(g)

2Li₂O₂(s) + heat → 2Li₂O(s) + O₂(g)

Solid state structure

Geometry of lithium: 4 coordinate: tetrahedral
Prototypical structure: Na2O (antifluorite)

Crystal structure of dilithium oxide

Isotope pattern

What follows is the calculated isotope pattern for the Li₂O unit with the most intense ion set to 100%.

Formula: Li₂O₁

mass  %
28   0.7 
29  16.2 ________
30 100.0 __________________________________________________
31   0.1 
32   0.2

References

The data on these compounds pages are assembled and adapted from the primary literature and several other sources including the following.

R.T. Sanderson in Chemical Periodicity, Reinhold, New York, USA, 1960.
N.N. Greenwood and A. Earnshaw in Chemistry of the Elements, 2nd edition, Butterworth, UK, 1997.
F.A. Cotton, G. Wilkinson, C.A. Murillo, and M. Bochmann, in Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
A.F. Trotman-Dickenson, (ed.) in Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry, Pergamon, Oxford, UK, 1973.
R.W.G. Wyckoff, in Crystal Structures, volume 1, Interscience, John Wiley & Sons, 1963.
A.R.West in Basic solid state chemistry Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
A.F. Wells in Structural inorganic chemistry, 4th edition, Oxford, UK, 1975.
J.D.H. Donnay, (ed.) in Crystal data determinative tables, ACA monograph number 5, American Crystallographic Association, USA, 1963.
D.R. Lide, (ed.) in Chemical Rubber Company handbook of chemistry and physics, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 77th edition, 1996.
J.W. Mellor in A comprehensive treatise on inorganic and theoretical chemistry, volumes 1-16, Longmans, London, UK, 1922-1937.
J.E. Macintyre (ed.) in Dictionary of inorganic compounds, volumes 1-3, Chapman & Hall, London, UK, 1992.