science

Lithium tungstate

Lithium tungstate is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lithium tungstate rather than just read about it. In short: Lithium tungstate is the inorganic compound with the formula Li2WO4. It is a white solid that is soluble in water.

Key takeaways

Lithium tungstate belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lithium tungstate to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lithium tungstate from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lithium tungstate is the inorganic compound with the formula Li2WO4. It is a white solid that is soluble in water. The compound is one of the several orthotungstates, compounds that feature the tetrahedral WO42− anion.

Structure The salt consists of tetrahedrally coordinated Li and W centres bridged by oxides. The W-O and Li-O bond distances are 1.79 and 1.96 Å, respectively. These differing bond lengths reflect the multiple bond character of the W-O interaction and the weaker ionic bonding between the Li-O interactions. The solid undergoes phase transitions at high pressures, such that the coordination geometry at tungsten becomes octahedral (six W-O bonds). For example, at 40 kilobars, it adopts a structure related to wolframite.

Uses Lithium tungstate is used to produce high density aqueous polytungstate (metatungstate) solutions. Like other high density fluids, such solutions are often used in the separation of minerals and other solids. These can achieve a density of 2.95 at 25 °C and up to 3.6 in hot water. This use of lithium and sodium tungstate anions was developed in the 1980s and early 1990s to address toxicity and safety issues with the existing organic high density fluids. Unlike methylene iodide and bromoform, polytungstates and heteropolytungstates can be more safely be used in an indoor environment without a fume hood with only ordinary common sense safety precautions such as protective gloves and safety glasses.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lithium tungstate

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lithium tungstate claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lithium tungstate before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lithium tungstate ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lithium tungstate

In research: Lithium tungstate appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lithium tungstate in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lithium tungstate is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Lithium salts, Tungstates, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lithium tungstate outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lithium tungstate in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lithium tungstate means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lithium tungstate out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lithium tungstate in simple terms?

Lithium tungstate is the inorganic compound with the formula Li2WO4. It is a white solid that is soluble in water.

Why does Lithium tungstate matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lithium tungstate?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lithium tungstate.