Lithium wani sinadarin sinadarai ne daga rukunin alkaline (alkali metals) a cikin jadawalin sinadarai (Periodic Table). Yana ɗauke da lambar ƙwayoyin zarra 3, kuma yana ɗaya daga cikin sinadarai mafi sauƙi da haske a cikin dukkanin ƙarafa. A zahiri, shi ne ƙarfe mafi sauƙi da aka sani, domin yana da nauyin atomic kimanin 6.94 u kawai. Lithium yana da launin azurfa mai ɗan jaja-jaja, mai laushi sosai har ana iya yankawa da wuka. Yana da ƙarancin nauyi wanda hakan ya sa shi yakan iya yin iyo a kan ruwa. Duk da haka, yana da matuƙar saurin yin aiki da ruwa da iska, musamman oxygen da nitrogen, saboda haka a mafi yawan lokuta ana adana shi a ƙarƙashin mai ko wasu sinadarai masu hana hulɗa da iska.
Tarihin gano Lithium
An gano Lithium a shekarar 1817 ta hannun Johan August Arfvedson, wani ɗan ƙasar Sweden masanin sinadarai, lokacin da yake nazari akan sinadarin petalite (LiAlSi₄O₁₀). Ya lura cewa akwai sabon sinadari a cikin sinadarai wanda bai dace da sodium ko potassium ba. Sunan “Lithium” ya fito daga kalmar Girkanci ta “lithos” wato dutse, saboda an fara gano shi daga dutse, saɓanin sodium da potassium da aka gano daga gishiri.
Humphry Davy, wanda ya riga ya yi suna wajen gano sauran sinadaran alkaline metals, ya tabbatar da cewa lalle wannan sabon abu wani nau’in ƙarfe ne, kuma daga nan aka tabbatar da Lithium a matsayin sabon sinadari.
Siffofin sinadarin lithium
Lithium ƙarfe ne mai matuƙar sauƙin narkewa da laushi. Yana da ƙarancin yawa (density 0.534 g/cm³), wanda hakan ya sa shi kusan rabin nauyin ruwa. Yana narkewa a matakin 180.5 °C kuma yana tafasa a 1342 °C. Wannan yana nufin yana da melting point mafi tsayi fiye da sauran alkaline metals.
Lithium yana da kyakkyawar ƙarfin wutar lantarki (electrochemical potential), wanda ya sa shi ya zama muhimmin sinadari a cikin batir. A cikin siffofin sinadarai, lithium yana iya haɗuwa da ruwa don samar da lithium hydroxide (LiOH) da iskar hydrogen (H₂). Wannan haɗuwa ba ta da ƙarfi kamar ta sodium ko potassium, amma tana iya haifar da matsananciyar fashewa idan ba a sarrafa shi da kyau ba.
Ire-iren Isotopes na Lithium
Lithium yana da nau’ikan isotopes guda biyu da suke ɗorewa (stable isotopes) a yanayi. Su ne:
- Lithium-6 (⁶Li): Yana da kimanin kashi 7.5% na dukkanin lithium da ake samu a cikin yanayi. Ana amfani da shi musamman a fannin nukiliya, wajen samar da tritium ta hanyar haɗawa da neutron. Wannan isotope na da muhimmanci wajen ƙera makaman nukiliya da kuma hanyoyin makamashi na haɗuwar
nukiliya (nuclear fusion). - Lithium-7 (⁷Li): Shi ne isotope mafi yawa, yana wakiltar kusan kashi 92.5% na lithium da ake samu a cikin yanayi. Ana amfani da shi wajen haɗa magunguna da kuma a batir masu ƙarfin aiki. Yana ɗorewa sosai kuma shi ne isotope da aka fi amfani da shi a fannoni daban-daban.
Baya ga waɗannan, akwai wasu isotopes marasa ɗorewa (radioactive isotopes) na lithium da ake ƙirƙira a ɗakin gwaje-gwaje, irin su ⁸Li da ⁹Li, amma suna da gajeren zango na rayuwa (half-life) kuma ba sa samuwa a yanayi.
Samuwar lithium a yanayi
Lithium ba ya fitowa kai tsaye a matsayin ƙarfe a ɗabi’a saboda saurin haɗuwarsa da iska da ruwa. Ana samun shi a cikin sinadarai irin su spodumene, petalite, lepidolite, da kuma a cikin ruwan gishiri (brine deposits). Kasashe mafi arzikin lithium sun haɗa da Australia, Chile, Argentina, China, da Bolivia. A yanzu haka, yankin da ake kira “Lithium Triangle” (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia) ne ke da mafi yawan ajiyar lithium a duniya.
Amfanin sinadarin Lithium
Lithium yana da amfani sosai a fannoni da dama:
Haɗa batira
Ana amfani da lithium a cikin lithium-ion batteries, waɗanda ake amfani da su a wayoyi, kwamfutoci, motoci masu amfani da wutar lantarki (electric cars), da kuma ajiyar makamashin hasken rana da iska. Wannan shi ne amfani mafi shahara na lithium a yau.
Amfanin masana’antu
Ana amfani da lithium wajen samar da kayayyakin roba (ceramics, glass), sabulai (lithium stearate), da man shafawa (lubricating greases).
Fannin kiwon lafiya
Lithium ya daɗe ana amfani da shi a fannin likitanci musamman wajen magance cututtukan ƙwaƙwalwa. Daga cikin alfanun sinadarin a fannin kiwon lafiya akwai:
Maganin Bipolar Disorder
Lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) da lithium citrate suna daga cikin sinadaran haɗa magungunan farko da aka tabbatar suna rage haɗarin cutar mania da kuma cutar damuwa ga marasa lafiya masu bipolar disorder. Yana da ƙarfin daidaita yanayin ƙwaƙwalwa (mood stabilizer).
Baya ga bipolar disorder, an yi amfani da lithium wajen taimaka wa marasa lafiya masu ciwon schizoaffective disorder, major depression da suicidal tendencies. Yana rage haɗarin kashe kai ga masu fama da matsananciyar damuwa.
Tasiri ga jijiyoyin ƙwaƙwalwa
Lithium yana aiki ta hanyar shafar jijiyoyin da ake kira neurotransmitters kamar serotonin, dopamine, da norepinephrine, inda yake daidaita su. Haka kuma yana hana rushewar sinadarin inositol monophosphatase, wanda ke da muhimmanci wajen aikin jijiyoyin ƙwaƙwalwa.
Fannin Nukiliya
Lithium yana da matuƙar muhimmanci a fasahar nukiliya da makamashi saboda sinadaransa na musamman.
Ƙirƙirar tritium (³H)
Isotopes ɗin lithium suna taka muhimmiyar rawa a harkar nukiliya. Misali, Lithium-6 (⁶Li) idan aka kai shi cikin neutron capture, yana haifar da tritium (³H), wanda shi ne muhimmin sinadari a fasahar thermonuclear weapons da kuma a binciken nuclear fusion reactors.
A matsayin coolant
Lithium metal ko gishiransa (lithium fluoride, LiF) ana amfani da su a matsayin coolant a cikin nuclear reactors saboda suna da kyakkyawan tsarin narkewa da ƙarancin haɗarin sinadaran radioactive.
Amfani a nuclear fusion
A tsarin fusion reactors kamar tokamak (misali a binciken ITER a Faransa), lithium ana amfani da shi wajen kare sashen cikin reactor daga zafi mai yawa. Haka nan ana amfani da shi wajen samar da tritium ta hanyar haɗawa da neutron, wanda zai ci gaba da samar da tsarin fusion.
Amfani a sararin samaniya
Lithium hydride (LiH) da lithium deuteride (LiD) suna daga cikin muhimman sinadarai a fannin sararin samaniya, musamman wajen sarrafa makamashin nukiliya don samar da roka mai ƙarfi da kuma ajiyar makamashi mai ƙarfi.
Matsalolin amfani da lithium
Duk da amfaninsa, lithium yana da illa idan aka yi amfani da shi ba tare da kulawa ba. Yawan amfani zai iya haifar da lithium toxicity, wanda zai iya haddasa rawar jiki, matsalar koda, bugun zuciya da matsalolin ƙwaƙwalwa. Don haka ana buƙatar kulawar likita sosai.
Har yanzu ana fama da matsala wajen ware lithium-6 daga lithium-7 saboda suna da siffofi masu kama. Yanzu, an sami sabuwar hanya da ba ta amfani da mercury (wanda aka daina amfani da shi saboda haɗarinsa). Wata hanya ce mai amfani wacce za ta iya taimakawa wajen samar da isasshen Lithium-6 don na’urorin fusion na gaba kamar yadda bincike ya nuna.
Manazarta
ITER Organization. (2025). Breeding blanket.
Malhi, G. S., Outhred, T., Tanious, M., Das, P., Coulston, C. M., & Berk, M. (2013). Potential mechanisms of action of lithium in bipolar disorder. CNS Drugs.
The Debrief. (2025). New method for isolating lithium-6 could boost nuclear fusion research.
The Lancet Psychiatry. (2025). Lithium as a disease-modifying drug for bipolar disorder.
World Nuclear Association. (2024). Lithium and its role in nuclear energy.
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An wallafa maƙalar 18 August, 2025
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