Lithium for Kids
LITH-ee-um · Alkali metal
I wonder… How does a tablet battery charge up again and again?
Lithium is the lightest metal in the world. It's the reason your tablet can charge up again and again.
Quick facts
- Atomic number
- 3
- Symbol
- Li
- Atomic mass
- 6.94
- Type
- Alkali metal
- Discovered
- 1817
- Discovered by
- Johan August Arfwedson
- Name means
- “stone” (from the Greek word lithos)
- At room temperature
- Solid (a metal)
How lithium was discovered
Part 1 of 3
A rock from an island
In 1817, a young chemist named Johan August Arfwedson worked in a lab in Sweden. He was studying a gray rock called petalite, dug up on a small Swedish island named Utö.
Part 2 of 3
The numbers didn't add up
Arfwedson carefully measured everything inside the rock. But the numbers didn't add up. Something new was hiding in there: a brand-new metal!
Part 3 of 3
Named after a stone
Because it was found in a rock, it was named lithium, from the Greek word lithos, which means stone. A few years later, scientists used electricity to pull out the shiny pure metal.
What is lithium used for?
Rechargeable batteries
Lithium batteries power phones, tablets, laptops, and lots of toys.
Electric cars
Electric cars carry big lithium batteries instead of gas tanks.
Red fireworks
Lithium helps some fireworks glow a deep red.
Fun facts about lithium
Can metal float?
Lithium is so light it can float on water! But it fizzes when it touches water, so scientists keep it sealed away from air and water.
Is it hard?
Pure lithium is so soft that you can cut it with a knife.
What color does it burn?
When lithium burns, its flame turns a beautiful crimson red.
Inside a lithium atom
Lithium has a lonely electron on its outside track. It gives that electron away easily, which makes lithium great for batteries.
Quiz yourself
1. Which thing in your house probably uses lithium?
- A tablet battery
- Table salt
- A pencil
Show the answer
A tablet battery. Rechargeable lithium batteries power most phones, tablets, and laptops.
2. What would lithium do if you put it in water?
- Sink like a rock
- Float and fizz
- Turn into gold
Show the answer
Float and fizz. Lithium is so light it floats, and it fizzes when it touches water.
Try it at home (with a grown-up): Battery detective
Grown-up needed! Only do this with a grown-up right next to you, the whole time.
You'll need
- A grown-up helper
- Paper and a pencil
What to do
- Walk around your home with your grown-up.
- Find things that get plugged in to charge: phones, tablets, game controllers, toothbrushes, toys.
- Grown-up’s job Read the label on the device or its charger. Look for the words “Li-ion” or “lithium.”
- Make a tally mark for every lithium-powered thing you find. Leave everything just the way you found it.
- How many did you find? Most families find more than 5!
Safety rules
- Look only. Never take a battery out of anything.
- Never open, poke, bend, or chew a battery.
- Tiny round “button” batteries are very dangerous if swallowed. If you find a loose one, give it to a grown-up right away.
- If someone might have swallowed a battery, a grown-up should get help right away: call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or go to the emergency room.
- If a battery looks puffy or feels hot, don't touch it. Tell a grown-up.
Draw it
Draw 3 things in your home that run on lithium batteries.
Riddle
“I'm the lightest metal of all, and I'm hiding inside your tablet's battery. What am I?”
Explore lithium with animations, read-aloud and a drawing pad
Open it on Atom a Day →