What is lithium iodide?

Lithium iodide is an ionic compound in which there is one lithium ion for every iodide ion. It has the chemical formula LiI. Lithium iodide is also sometimes called lithium(I) iodide.

Lithium iodide is a white, crystalline solid with a density of 4,060 kilograms per cubic meter. One can produce lithium iodide by reacting lithium hydroxide with hydroiodic acid. This reaction produces lithium iodide as an aqueous salt, which is then extracted through recrystallization. Lithium iodide has a similar structure to sodium chloride, otherwise known as table salt. In this structure, each lithium or sodium ion is surrounded by six iodide or chloride ions, respectively.