Lithium polonide is a
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
with the formula
Li2 Po. It is a
polonide
A polonide is a chemical compound of the radioactive element polonium with any element less electronegative than polonium. Polonides are usually prepared by a direct reaction between the elements at temperatures of around 300–400 °C... They a ...
, a set of very chemically stable compounds of polonium.
[.]
Production
Lithium polonide may be produced from a
redox reaction
Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is ...
between aqueous
polonium hydride and
lithium
Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...
metal
[ or from an acid-base reaction of H2Po with strong lithium-containing bases:
:H2Po + 2 Li → Li2Po + H2
It may also be produced by heating lithium and polonium together at 300–400 °C.][
]
Crystal structure
Like sodium polonide, lithium polonide has the antifluorite
The fluorite structure refers to a common motif for compounds with the formula MX2. The X ions occupy the eight tetrahedral interstitial sites whereas M ions occupy the regular sites of a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. Many compounds, notabl ...
structure.[
]
References
{{inorganic-chemistry-stub
Lithium compounds
Polonides
Fluorite crystal structure