Mine ond plonf of Foote Mincrol Corpofotion in Clcvelond County.
"Strangest metal ever discovered" is
one description of the stuff they're
digging out of the ground in Cleve¬
land and Gaston counties. It's lithium.
It’s been there all the time, in the
spodumcne which occurs in a mineral
belt from Lincolnton to Gaffney, S. C.,
but until recently no one knew what
it was good for.
As a metal, lithium is a curiosity.
Softer than lead, which it resembles in
its pure form, it is the featherweight of
the metallic field. A cubic foot of it
weighs only 33 pounds, compared with
108 lbs. for magnesium and 168
pounds for aluminum. It is, in fact,
the lightest of all solids and about half
the weight of water.
People who think of metal in terms
of what can be built with it — auto¬
mobiles, washing machines, electrical
appliances, etc. — would be startled to
see what happens to a piece of lithium
dropped in water. The piece floats on
the surface, fizzing and skittering about
until it dissolves without a visible trace
(it combines chemically with the
water).
Lithium, by itself, has no structural
use. Aside from the fact that it can
be cut with a knife and acts like a
"seltzer" tablet in water, the flame
from a match will melt it. Also, it
must be stored in oil to keep it from
combining with gases in the air.
Yet, the property that makes it use¬
less alone as a structural metal — its
tendency to combine chemically with
a number of other elements — makes
it valuable in other forms. A significant
part of lithium production from both
Foote and Lithium Corporation has
been channeled to the Atomic Energy
Commission. The government's use of
the material is restricted information
except for the admission that the AEC
extracts from it an isotope known as
“lithium 6" and returns the remainder
to the producers who may then sell it
to commercial users.
Currently, the petroleum industry
heads the list of commercial lithium
consumers. Lithium stearate is the base
for a grease which maintains its vis¬
cosity and lubricating properties over
a wide temperature range. Lithium
Our Miracle Melal
base automobile greases, already on
the market, make seasonal changes in
lubricants unnecessary.
Lithium greases were developed in
the United States during World War II.
Had they been available to the Ger¬
mans, the outcome of the Nazi-
Russian winter campaign might well
have been different. German army of¬
ficers admitted after the war that the
breakdown of their mechanized equip¬
ment in the extreme cold contributed
decisively to their defeat at the hands
of the weather-wise Russians.
Second to the petroleum industry as
major lithium users arc the porcelain
enamel and glass industries. Here the
maverick metal, as lithium carbonate,
proves again a handy helper. Mixed
in porcelain enamels for coating bath¬
tubs. sinks, pots and pans, and the
like, lithium additives have made it
possible to produce thinner, more fluid
coats. These can be fired at lower
temperatures, have higher gloss and
are more resistive to impacts and acids.
The addition of lithium compounds
makes glass stronger and easier to work
with. Lithium has replaced lead in
some types of quality glass such as
lenses, and has made possible the pro¬
duction of intricate shapes like tele¬
vision tubes at a comparatively low
cost.
“Strangest metal ever discovered4’
is the way lithium is described.
Another of the metal's peculiar
properties makes it highly useful in the
air-conditioning field. Since certain of
its compounds readily absorb and
retain moisture, they can be used to
control humidity, or produce refrigera-
THE STATE FEBRUARY 4. 1961
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