Knowra Lithium nitrate Lithium nitrate Lithium nitrate is an inorganic ionic compound with formula LiNO₃, composed of lithium cations and nitrate anions. It is a water-soluble oxidizing salt used in heat-transfer systems and pyrotechnics.
Molten-salt heat transfer : The use of liquid salts to store and transfer thermal energy. Lithium nitrate can form low-melting mixtures used as heat-transfer and thermal-storage media.
Nitrate : The polyatomic anion NO₃⁻, in which nitrogen is bonded to three oxygen atoms. Nitrate is the anion paired with lithium in the salt and accounts for its oxidizing chemistry.
Chemical formula : A symbolic notation showing the elements and relative numbers of atoms in a substance. LiNO₃ records one lithium ion for each nitrate ion.
Sodium nitrate : An inorganic salt with formula NaNO₃, composed of sodium cations and nitrate anions. It shares nitrate chemistry with lithium nitrate but has a different cation and thermal behavior.
Thermal energy storage : The capture of heat for later use in energy systems. Lithium nitrate mixtures store heat as sensible energy and, in some designs, latent heat.
Lithium ion : The positively charged ion Li⁺ formed when a lithium atom loses one electron. Lithium ions balance nitrate’s negative charge in lithium nitrate’s ionic lattice.
Polyatomic ion : A charged group of covalently bonded atoms that behaves as a unit in reactions. Nitrate remains an intact polyatomic ion in many reactions of lithium nitrate.
Potassium nitrate : An inorganic salt with formula KNO₃, used in fertilizers, food preservation, and pyrotechnics. It is a familiar nitrate oxidizer whose potassium flame color differs from lithium’s crimson emission.
Pyrotechnics : The science and use of chemical compositions that produce light, heat, sound, or smoke. Lithium nitrate supplies oxygen and lithium compounds that contribute red color in some compositions.
Ionic bonding : Electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions in a chemical compound. The attraction between Li⁺ and NO₃⁻ holds the solid salt together.
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