Sana Qadar: To the point where it can stop a person who is feeling suicidal from feeling suicidal. Missy Robinson: For six years, the lithium was my saviour, it absolutely changed my life. Sana Qadar: As far as origin stories go, that's a pretty great one.īut one of the most remarkable things about lithium is that, when taken in its 'salt' form, which thankfully isn't flammable, it can have a profound impact on our mood. And this mystery metal we're talking about, it's lithium.Īlice Motion: So, lithium is one of the three elements that were first created in the Big Bang, so over 13 billion years ago, I think about 13.8 billion years ago.Īlice Motion: But the majority of lithium wasn't formed in the Big Bang, the majority of it is thought to form in exploding stars. Sana Qadar: That, by the way, is Associate Professor of Chemistry, Dr Alice Motion.
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But if we had a really large piece, it would react much more vigorously, produce much more hydrogen, and yes, it could set on fire. If we had like a much bigger chunk, would we see like an explosion or what would happen?Īlice Motion: I have never seen an explosion because I'm a really super-safe chemist. Oh and it can be flammable, so stand back. It's got its origins in the very beginnings of our universe and it's taken in the form of a pill by thousands of Australians every day. The substance we've made react (not disappear) is the lightest metal on Earth. Sana Qadar: Okay, so now it's just disappeared, our little pebble is completely gone, I think.Īlice Motion: It has not vanished, it's reacted I'm standing in a chemistry lab at Sydney University and I'm watching a small pea-sized chunk of metal slowly disappear in a bowl of water.Īlice Motion: It's bubbling away, and it's moving around the surface of the water.Īlice Motion: It is a little bit like a Pacman. That's fizzing, okay…now it's smoking while fizzing… Sana Qadar: A quick warning, this episode touches on the topic of suicide.