Lithium: A Little Goes a Long Way

An engineer and a psychiatrist go into a convenience store. All of a sudden, a brouhaha starts in aisle five, where the assistant store manager finds the two customers arguing over the last lump of lithium.

The engineer says he needs it for his electric car project, since lithium is the best cathode material for his lithium ion batteries. The psychiatrist says he needs it to treat his manic-depressive patient, since it one of the most effective psychiatric medications available.

The assistant store manager still can’t decide. The engineer says that, since lithium is the lightest known metal, with the highest specific heat of any element, he also plans to alloy it with either manganese, or cadmium to make strong, lightweight metals for the electric car. And if there’s any left over after building his electric car, the engineer says he’ll compound it to make special glasses and ceramics (such as the Mount Palomar telescope's 200-inch mirror), to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of spacecraft, or as a high temperature lubricant. The psychiatrist says that, since lithium is helpful in 75 % of people with bipolar disorder, he can also prevent a lot of “episodes.”

Who should the assistant store manager sell the last bottle of lithium to? (Answer to question: Whomever has the biggest Federal grant)

Lithium: Good Stuff, That

Atomic Number 3
Atomic Weight 6.941
Melting Point 453.5 K (356.9°F)
Boiling Point 1615 K (2447.6°F)
Density 0.534 grams / cubic centimeter
Phase at Room Temperature Solid
From the Greek word for stone, lithos

Lithium was discovered in the mineral petalite by Johann August Arfvedson in 1817. It was first isolated by William Thomas Brande and Sir Humphrey Davy through the electrolysis of lithium oxide. Today, larger amounts of the metal are obtained through the electrolysis of lithium chloride. Lithium is not found free in nature and makes up only 0.0007% of the earth's crust.

(Answer to question: Whomever has the biggest Federal grant)