Compare Lithium vs Carbon
Comparing Lithium (Li) and Carbon (C). Atomic numbers 3 and 6 with atomic masses 6.938 u and 12.01 u, classified as alkali metal and nonmetal. Below: a side-by-side comparison of their physical, atomic, electron-configuration and historical properties, including density, melting and boiling points, ionization energies, oxidation states and discovery history.
Periodic properties of the elements
| Lithium | Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Li | C |
| Atomic number | 3 | 6 |
| Group | 1 | 14 |
| Period | 2 | 2 |
| Block | s | p |
| Element category | Alkali Metal | Nonmetal |
Physical properties
| Lithium | Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase at STP | Solid | Solid |
| Density | 0.534 g/cm3 | 1.821 g/cm3 |
| Atomic weight | 6.938 u | 12.0096 u |
| Melting point | 453.65 K 180.5 °C 356.9 °F | - |
| Boiling point | 1603 K 1329.85 °C 2425.73 °F | - |
Atomic properties
| Lithium | Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Electronegativity (Pauling Scale) | 0.98 | 2.55 |
| Electron affinity | 59.6326 kJ/mol | 121.776 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation states | +1 (a strongly basic oxide) | −4, −3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4 (a mildly acidic oxide) |
| Ionization energies |
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Electron configuration
| Lithium | Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Shorthand configuration | [He] 2s1 | [He] 2s2 2p2 |
| Full configuration | 1s2 2s1 | 1s2 2s2 2p2 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 1 | 2, 4 |
History
| Lithium | Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Johan August Arfwedson (1817) | Egyptians and Sumerians (3750 BC) |
| First isolation | William Thomas Brande, Sir Humphrey Davy (1821) |