With lithium being such a volatile and reactive element, how does such a large deposit of the element not just explode with coming in contact with the air? Is there a bigger danger when mining lithium compared to other materials? What happens if it rains or a large amount of water comes into contact with the mine?
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These mines don’t contain metalic lithium, they contain various ores in which the Lithium has already been oxidized. In order to get the metalic lithium out a reaction reaction has to be performed.
Lithium (and most metals) isn’t mined in its metallic state. Lithium-bearing ores, like spodumene, contain an amount of lithium that’s later extracted.
So no, there’s no particular risk.
Because the deposits are lithium salts (Li+), not elemental lithium metal.
Elemental sodium is more reactive than lithium, but table salt doesn’t explode when it gets wet.
The same reason water doesn’t explode, even though it’s got explosive hydrogen and explosive oxygen in it.
Lithium ore is not the same as lithium; it’s FAR more stable, and you have to smelt the ore to get it out. It’s reacted with other elements like aluminum and silicon and oxygen to form a stable rock.
Gold and silver are often found naturally because they’re really not very reactive. But because lithium IS really reactive, it gets tied up in chemical reactions that make it far far more stable.
Lithium is only really dangerous the way you describe in its elemental (metallic) form.
When you find these metals just sitting in the ground, they’ve been exposed to air, water, and other things so that they’ve already produced these… ***excitingly*** energetic reactions. What is left are lithium ions bound to other things (like chlorides, phosphates, and other stuff).
This is known as the “ore” and it has to be processed in order to drive off the non-lithium impurities and return it to elemental metallic lithium.
Sodium is a volatile and reactive element very similar to lithium.
How do we mine Sodium? We look for large deposits of Sodium Chloride… aka “table salt”.
The Lithium deposits you’re hearing about in the news are non-reactive ores or salts like that – not raw metallic lithium. Those ores/salts contain lots of lithium but in a form that is non-reactive. (Or rather, you could say that the lithium has *already* reacted with other materials to form that salt/ore.)
I assume because it’s not elemental lithium, it’s combined with other elements to form a compound like an oxide. This would mean a chemical reaction is necessary to separate them if you need elemental lithium.
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