lepidolite

Before spodumene became the sole ore for the recovery of lithium for chemical use, lepidolite was used as a lithium source. One process for recovery of lithium from lepidolite used sulfuric acid in a procedure similar to that used by the Lithium Corporation of America for spodumene. A more recent method involved heating a mixture of lepidolite and potassium sulfate to just below the melting point and extracting the mixture with water to recover a solution of lithium sulfate.

Lepidolite, a variety of mica, is a fluorosilicate ofpotassium, lithium and aluminum found in pegmatites.Generally, rubidium occurs as an impurity. Can be used as glass material. Used in ceramics, it can act as a flux. Lithium is the lightest metal with a specific gravity of 0.534. It can produce lithium-6 needed for thermonuclear, and is an important fuel for hydrogen bombs, rockets, nuclear submarines and new jet aircraft. Lithium can absorb neutrons and is used as a control rod in an atomic reactor. It is used as a red luminous agent for signal flare and flares and a thick lubricant for aircraft in the military. In metallurgy, lithium is used to make light alloys and pure agents for metal products.