Lithium is a soft metal which is used for many applications, such as production of high-temperature lubricants or heat-resistant glass. Furthermore, lithium is used in large quantities for battery production. It is obtained from brines and high-grade lithium ores. Depending on the lithium concentration, extraction may or may not be economically viable.

This Application Note demonstrates a method to determine the lithium concentration in brines by potentiometric titration. Lithium and fluoride precipitate in ethanol as insoluble lithium fluoride. Using ammonium fluoride as titrant and a fluoride ion selective electrode (ISE), determination of lithium via potentiometric titration is possible.

This method is more reliable, faster, and less expensive than the determination of lithium in brine by other more sophisticated techniques such as atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS).

Two samples with ~20% (m/m) and ~40% (m/m) lithium chloride are analyzed. No further sample preparation is required.

For both samples this method gave reliable and reproducible results.

Using ethanol as solvent, ammonium fluoride as titrant, and the fluoride ISE for indication, the determination of lithium in brine can be performed reliably and cost-efficiently.

Therefore, this method provides an inexpensive and simple approach to determine if an extraction of lithium from brine is economically feasible or not.