Compare Lithium vs Hydrogen
Comparing Lithium (Li) and Hydrogen (H). Atomic numbers 3 and 1 with atomic masses 6.938 u and 1.008 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 | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Li | H |
| Atomic number | 3 | 1 |
| Group | 1 | 1 |
| Period | 2 | 1 |
| Block | s | s |
| Element category | Alkali Metal | Nonmetal |
Physical properties
| Lithium | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase at STP | Solid | Gas |
| Density | 0.534 g/cm3 | 0.08988 g/cm3 |
| Atomic weight | 6.938 u | 1.0079 u |
| Melting point | 453.65 K 180.5 °C 356.9 °F | 13.99 K -259.16 °C -434.488 °F |
| Boiling point | 1603 K 1329.85 °C 2425.73 °F | 20.271 K -252.879 °C -423.1822 °F |
Atomic properties
| Lithium | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| Electronegativity (Pauling Scale) | 0.98 | 2.2 |
| Electron affinity | 59.6326 kJ/mol | 72.769 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation states | +1 (a strongly basic oxide) | −1, +1 (an amphoteric oxide) |
| Ionization energies |
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Electron configuration
| Lithium | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| Shorthand configuration | [He] 2s1 | 1s1 |
| Full configuration | 1s2 2s1 | 1s1 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 1 | 1 |
History
| Lithium | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Johan August Arfwedson (1817) | Henry Cavendish (1766) |
| First isolation | William Thomas Brande, Sir Humphrey Davy (1821) | Henry Cavendish (1766) |
| Named by | Antoine Lavoisier (1783) |