THE SYSTEM LITHIUM CHLORATE – LITHIUM CHLORIDE – WATER AT VARIOUS TEMPERATURES

Abstract

The equilibrium diagram of the system lithium chlorate – water has been determined at all temperatures and that of the system lithium chlorate – lithium chloride – water at the temperatures 3.0°, 6.0°, 8.5°, and 25.0 °C.Lithium chlorate forms three hydrates having the formulae:(i) (LiClO3)4.H2O—stable in contact with solution from 20.5° to 42.0 °C.(ii) LiClO3.H2O—stable in contact with solution from −0.1° to 20.5 °C.(iii) LiClO3.3 H2O—melts congruently at 8.4 °C.Hydrate (i) was discovered by Berg but he gave to it the formula (LiClO3)3.H2O.Lithium chlorate and lithium chloride form no double salts at the temperatures of investigation.Lithium chlorate exists in two enantiotropic forms, namely the α and the β forms. The transition, α ↔ β, takes place at 99.8 °C. and the α form has the lower density. The γ form, proposed by Kraus and Burgess, does not exist either stably or metastably. The X-ray diffraction pattern of β-LiClO3 has been obtained.