Lithium perchlorate is the
chemical compoundA chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
with the formula LiClO
4. This white crystalline salt is noteworthy for its high solubility in many solvents. It exists both in anhydrous form and as a
trihydrateWater of crystallization is water that occurs in crystals but is not covalently bonded to a host molecule or ion. The term is archaic and predates modern structural inorganic chemistry, coming from an era when the relationships between stoichiometry and structure were poorly understood. ...
.
Lithium perchlorate is used as a source of
oxygenOxygen Oxygen Oxygen (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter) is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O...
in some
chemical oxygen generatorA chemical oxygen generator is a device that releases oxygen created by a chemical reaction. The oxygen source is usually an inorganic superoxide, chlorate, or perchlorate. A promising group of oxygen sources are ozonides. The generators are usually ignited mechanically, by a firing pin, and the...
s. It decomposes at about 400 °C, yielding
lithium chlorideLithium chloride is a chemical compound with the formula LiCl. The salt is a typical ionic compound, although the small size of the Li+ ion gives rise to properties not seen for other alkali metal chlorides, such as extraordinary solubility in polar solvents and its hygroscopic...
and
oxygenOxygen Oxygen Oxygen (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter) is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O...
, the latter being over 60% of its mass. It has both the highest oxygen to weight and oxygen to volume ratio of all
perchloratePerchlorates are the salts derived from perchloric acid . They occur both naturally and through manufacturing. They have been used as a medicine for more than 50 years to treat thyroid gland disorders. They are also used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel and explosives and can be found in airbags...
s, which makes it especially advantageous in
aerospaceAerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
applications.
LiClO
4 is highly soluble in organic solvents, even diethyl ether.
Lithium perchlorate is the
chemical compoundA chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
with the formula LiClO
4. This white crystalline salt is noteworthy for its high solubility in many solvents. It exists both in anhydrous form and as a
trihydrateWater of crystallization is water that occurs in crystals but is not covalently bonded to a host molecule or ion. The term is archaic and predates modern structural inorganic chemistry, coming from an era when the relationships between stoichiometry and structure were poorly understood. ...
.
Uses
Lithium perchlorate is used as a source of
oxygenOxygen Oxygen Oxygen (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter) is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O...
in some
chemical oxygen generatorA chemical oxygen generator is a device that releases oxygen created by a chemical reaction. The oxygen source is usually an inorganic superoxide, chlorate, or perchlorate. A promising group of oxygen sources are ozonides. The generators are usually ignited mechanically, by a firing pin, and the...
s. It decomposes at about 400 °C, yielding
lithium chlorideLithium chloride is a chemical compound with the formula LiCl. The salt is a typical ionic compound, although the small size of the Li+ ion gives rise to properties not seen for other alkali metal chlorides, such as extraordinary solubility in polar solvents and its hygroscopic...
and
oxygenOxygen Oxygen Oxygen (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter) is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O...
, the latter being over 60% of its mass. It has both the highest oxygen to weight and oxygen to volume ratio of all
perchloratePerchlorates are the salts derived from perchloric acid . They occur both naturally and through manufacturing. They have been used as a medicine for more than 50 years to treat thyroid gland disorders. They are also used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel and explosives and can be found in airbags...
s, which makes it especially advantageous in
aerospaceAerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
applications.
LiClO
4 is highly soluble in organic solvents, even diethyl ether. Such solutions are employed in the
Diels-Alder reactionThe Diels-Alder reaction is an organic chemical reaction between a conjugated diene and a substituted alkene, commonly termed the dienophile, to form a substituted cyclohexene system. The reaction can proceed even if some of the atoms in the newly-formed ring are not carbon...
s, where it is proposed that the
Lewis acidA Lewis acid, A, is a chemical compound that can accept a pair of electrons from a Lewis base, B, that acts as an electron-pair donor, forming an adduct, AB:
A + :B → A—B...
ic Li
+ binds to substituents on the diene, thereby accelerating the reaction.
Lithium perchlorate is also extensively used as an
electrolyteIn chemistry, an electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrically conductive medium, usually when in a solution...
in
lithium batteriesLithium batteries are disposable batteries that have lithium metal or lithium compounds as an anode. Depending on the design and chemical compounds used, lithium cells can produce voltages from 1.5 V to about 3.7 V, up to twice the voltage of an ordinary zinc-carbon battery or alkaline cell...
, as it does not undergo oxidization on the
anodeAn anode is an electrode through which electric current flows into a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: ACID . Electrons flow in the opposite direction to the electric current...
.
Concentrated solutions of lithium perchlorate (4.5 mol/l) are used as a
chaotropic agentA chaotropic agent, also known as chaotropic reagent and chaotrope, is a substance which disrupts the three dimensional structure in macromolecules such as proteins, DNA, or RNA and denatures them...
to denature
proteinProteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. The amino acids in a polymer chain are joined together by the peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues...
s.
Lithium perchlorate is also used as a co-catalyst in the coupling of α,β-unsaturated carbonyls with aldehydes, also known as the Baylis-Hillman reaction.
Production
Lithium perchlorate can be manufactured by reaction of
sodium perchlorateSodium perchlorate is a perchlorate of sodium and has the formula NaClO4. Sodium perchlorate melts with decomposition at 480 °C. Its heat of formation is −382.75 kJ mol−1. It is a white crystalline, hygroscopic solid that is soluble in water and in alcohol...
with
lithium chlorideLithium chloride is a chemical compound with the formula LiCl. The salt is a typical ionic compound, although the small size of the Li+ ion gives rise to properties not seen for other alkali metal chlorides, such as extraordinary solubility in polar solvents and its hygroscopic...
. It can be also prepared by electrolysis of lithium chlorate at 200 mA/cm² at temperatures above 20 °C.