Lithium and Aluminium - Comparison - Properties

This article contains comparison of key thermal and atomic properties of lithium and aluminium, two comparable chemical elements from the periodic table. It also contains basic descriptions and applications of both elements. Lithium vs Aluminium.

lithium and aluminium - comparison

Compare lithium with another element

Compare aluminium with another element

Lithium and Aluminium – About Elements

Lithium

It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the lightest metal and the lightest solid element. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly reactive and flammable, and is stored in mineral oil.

Aluminium

Aluminium is a silvery-white, soft, nonmagnetic, ductile metal in the boron group. By mass, aluminium makes up about 8% of the Earth’s crust; it is the third most abundant element after oxygen and silicon and the most abundant metal in the crust, though it is less common in the mantle below.

Lithium in Periodic Table

Aluminium in Periodic Table

Source: www.luciteria.com

Lithium and Aluminium – Applications

Lithium

Lithium has many applications, from lubricating grease, alloying additions in particular for aluminium and magnesium alloys, to glazes for ceramics, and finally, lithium batteries. In particular, lithium is and will continue to play an increasingly important role in the battery-powered clean air future. Lithium batteries are widely used in portable consumer electronic devices, and in electric vehicles ranging from full sized vehicles to radio controlled toys. The term “lithium battery” refers to a family of different lithium-metal chemistries, comprising many types of cathodes and electrolytes but all with metallic lithium as the anode.

Aluminium

Aluminium and its alloys are used widely in aerospace, automotive, architectural, lithographic, packaging, electrical and electronic applications. It is the prime material of construction for the aircraft industry throughout most of its history. About 70% of commercial civil aircraft airframes are made from aluminium alloys, and without aluminium civil aviation would not be economically viable. Automotive industry now includes aluminium as engine castings, wheels, radiators and increasingly as body parts. 6111 aluminium and 2008 aluminium alloy are extensively used for external automotive body panels. Cylinder blocks and crankcases are often cast made of aluminium alloys.

Lithium and Aluminium – Comparison in Table

Element	Lithium	Aluminium
Density	0.535 g/cm3	2.7 g/cm3
Ultimate Tensile Strength	1.5 MPa	90 MPa (pure), 600 MPa (alloys)
Yield Strength	N/A	11 MPa (pure), 400 MPa (alloys)
Young’s Modulus of Elasticity	4.9 GPa	70 GPa
Mohs Scale	0.6	2.8
Brinell Hardness	5 MPa	240 MPa
Vickers Hardness	N/A	167 MPa
Melting Point	180.5 °C	660 °C
Boiling Point	1342 °C	2467 °C
Thermal Conductivity	85 W/mK	237 W/mK
Thermal Expansion Coefficient	46 µm/mK	23.1 µm/mK
Specific Heat	3.6 J/g K	0.9 J/g K
Heat of Fusion	3 kJ/mol	10.79 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization	145.92 kJ/mol	293.4 kJ/mol