page_title: Lithium chloride
section_title: Chemical properties
hierarchical_section_title: Lithium chloride / Chemical properties
context_page_description: Lithium 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 properties.
context_section_description: The salt forms crystalline hydrates, unlike the other alkali metal chlorides.  Mono-, tri-, and pentahydrates are known.  The anhydrous salt can be regenerated by heating the hydrates. LiCl also absorbs up to four equivalents of ammonia/mol. As with any other ionic chloride, solutions of lithium chloride can serve as a source of chloride ion, e.g., forming a precipitate upon treatment with silver nitrate:
  LiCl + AgNO₃  →  AgCl + LiNO₃
caption: Color produced when lithium chloride is heated
exif: {}