What is the Difference Between Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide

The key difference between lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide is that lithium carbonate contains one carbonate anion associated with two lithium cations whereas lithium hydroxide contains one lithium cation associated with one hydroxide anion.

Both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are useful in producing cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, there are few differences between these two substances. 

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Lithium Carbonate 
3. What is Lithium Hydroxide
4. Lithium Carbonate vs Lithium Hydroxide in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Lithium Carbonate vs Lithium Hydroxide

What is Lithium Carbonate?

Lithium carbonate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula Li2CO3. It is the lithium salt of carbonic acid. It appears as a white powder that is odorless. It has many applications in the processing of metal oxides and is also useful as a drug in treating mood disorders. For example, it is one of the most important drugs used in treating bipolar disorder.

In industrial applications, lithium carbonate is very important as a precursor for compounds we use in making lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, glasses that are made from lithium carbonate are very important in ovenware production. We can find this compound as a common ingredient in both low-fire and high-fire ceramic glaze. It can form low-melting fluxes along with silica and other materials. Furthermore, the alkaline properties of lithium carbonate cause the change of state of metal oxide colorants in the glaze. E.g. red iron oxide. Apart from that, cement tends to set more rapidly when it is prepared with lithium carbonate.

What is Lithium Hydroxide?

Lithium hydroxide is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula LiOH. There are two forms; they are the hydrated form and the anhydrous form. The number of water molecules in the hydrated form can differ. Both hydrated and anhydrous forms are hygroscopic solids that are soluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol. Moreover, both these forms are commercially available for different applications. We can classify it as a strong base. However, it is the weakest alkali metal hydroxide known up to now. 

The hard rock spodumene is the feedstock used for the production of lithium hydroxide. This compound has its lithium content expressed as a percentage of lithium oxide. Often, the production of lithium hydroxide is done using metathesis reactions using calcium hydroxide. As an alternative route, we can use lithium sulfate. 

There are many important uses of lithium hydroxide, including the production of lithium-ion batteries, as a grease thickener, in breathing gas purification systems for spacecraft, as intermediates for the production of other lithium-containing compounds, in the production of ceramics for the alkalization, etc. 

What is the Difference Between Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide?

Both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are useful in producing cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, there are few differences between lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. Among them, the key difference between lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide is that lithium carbonate contains one carbonate anion associated with two lithium cations whereas lithium hydroxide contains one lithium cation associated with one hydroxide anion. In addition, lithium carbonate is less expensive than lithium hydroxide.

Summary – Lithium Carbonate vs Lithium Hydroxide

Lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are important inorganic compounds. The key difference between lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide is that lithium carbonate contains one carbonate anion associated with two lithium cations whereas lithium hydroxide contains one lithium cation associated with one hydroxide anion. In addition, lithium carbonate is less expensive than lithium hydroxide. 

Reference:

1. “Lithium Carbonate.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics. 

Image Courtesy:

1. “Lithium-carbonate-xtal-1979-Mercury-3D-sf” By Ben Mills – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Lithium-hydroxide-xtal-3D-SF” By CCoil (talk) – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia