Answer to Question #293964 in General Chemistry for Gamma

Question

The equation for a reaction that can be used to manufacture lithium carbonate is

2Li2O2 + 2CO2 → 2Li2CO3 + O2

What is the atom economy for this reaction?

Answer 1

Atom economy means maximizing the incorporation of material from the starting materials or reagents into the final product. It is essentially pollution prevention at the molecular level.

Lithium carbonate can be efficiently produced from a brine by (i) removing the boron therefrom, (ii) diluting the boron-free brine, (iii) removing magnesium from the diluted brine, and (iv) adding sodium carbonate to thereby precipitate lithium carbonate.