Brain&Force
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Lithium + xylene = ?
Today I attempted to extract and preserve lithium from a battery. The lithium was to be stored under xylene bought from Ace hardware stores in a
plastic bottle resistant to dissolution in xylene. Additionally, a small amount of xylene was ignited in the plastic bottle beforehand to remove some
oxygen from the bottle. A small amount of xylene was then poured in.
When the lithium was placed in the xylene, bubbling occurred. I thought lithium would not react with the xylene, but apparently this is not the case.
The lithium had blackened on exposure to the solvent, and was removed for immediate use.
One final note: when the xylene was ignited, not all of it combusted and the leftover liquid had turned yellow.
Is xylene unsuitable for the storage of lithium? Should I have used mineral oil or toluene instead? Is there any way to exploit the reaction to make
something useful?
At the end of the day, simulating atoms doesn't beat working with the real things...
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DraconicAcid
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I suspect very strongly that your xylene was impure, and it wasn't the xylene doing the reaction.
Please remember: "Filtrate" is not a verb.
Write up your lab reports the way your instructor wants them, not the way your ex-instructor wants them.
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TheChemiKid
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I bet the xylene is impure.
Oops, you beat me to it.
[Edited on 8-9-2014 by TheChemiKid]
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forgottenpassword
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Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force  | | a small amount of xylene was ignited in the plastic bottle beforehand to remove some oxygen from the bottle. A small amount of xylene was then poured
in. |
This is the source of your problem. You removed oxygen by creating water.
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Brain&Force
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Well, that explains it.
At the end of the day, simulating atoms doesn't beat working with the real things...
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Brain&Force
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I just put lithium in water-free xylene and no reaction occurred. forgottenpassword was right.
At the end of the day, simulating atoms doesn't beat working with the real things...
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FireLion3
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It is also worth noting, the black layer that forms on the outside of Lithium it Lithium Nitride by reaction with Nitrogen Gas. Li3N is a very strong
base. So be ware that there is bound to be some ammonia in your reaction when the lithium reacts (with water or something else)
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xfusion44
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| Quote: Originally posted by FireLion3 | | It is also worth noting, the black layer that forms on the outside of Lithium it Lithium Nitride by reaction with Nitrogen Gas. Li3N is a very strong
base. So be ware that there is bound to be some ammonia in your reaction when the lithium reacts (with water or something else)
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Are you sure? I thought it was Li2O. Isn't nitrogen pretty inert element? And on Wikipedia it says for Li3N, that it's red or purple in color, not
black.
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UnintentionalChaos
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| Quote: Originally posted by xfusion44 | | Quote: Originally posted by FireLion3 | | It is also worth noting, the black layer that forms on the outside of Lithium it Lithium Nitride by reaction with Nitrogen Gas. Li3N is a very strong
base. So be ware that there is bound to be some ammonia in your reaction when the lithium reacts (with water or something else)
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Are you sure? I thought it was Li2O. Isn't nitrogen pretty inert element? And on Wikipedia it says for Li3N, that it's red or purple in color, not
black. |
Li2O is white. I think the dark color is mostly a result of thin-film effects and if allowed to stand in air for longer, a crusty white
layer would form.
Department of Redundancy Department - Now with paperwork!
'In organic synthesis, we call decomposition products "crap", however this is not a IUPAC approved nomenclature.' -Nicodem
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zenosx
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Not informative but I like the gif 
I store my lithium in mineral oil but I have the issue of it floating to the surface and still oxidizing. Perhaps stored in mineral oil in a vacuum or
under N2 or Ar?
[Edited on 7-10-2014 by zenosx]
A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
Albert Einstein
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WacGuyver
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Plus it evaps too quickly, I like slower for Li storage. I've had great success weighing it down submerged under mineral oil. (Drug store brand, No
reactions occurred. Much lower volatility and degradation of storage vessel than xylene. I had a plate that perfectly fit the diameter of a 1gal.
bucket, I was able to push the plate down and submerge the Li.
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