Lithium tantalate

Lithium tantalate is the inorganic compound with the formula LiTaO₃. It is a white, diamagnetic, water-insoluble solid. The compound has the perovskite structure. It has optical, piezoelectric, and pyroelectric properties. Considerable information is available from commercial sources about this material.^[3]

Lithium tantalate

__ Li+     __ Ta5+     __ O2−
Names
IUPAC name Lithium tantalate
Other names Lithium metatantalate
Identifiers
CAS Number	12031-66-2 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	11555951
ECHA InfoCard	100.031.584
EC Number	234-757-5
PubChem CID	159405
RTECS number	WW55470000
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID60923322
InChI InChI=1S/Li.3O.Ta/q+1;3*-2;+5 Key: JNQQEOHHHGGZCY-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES [Li+].[O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[Ta+5]
Properties
Chemical formula	LiO3Ta
Molar mass	235.88 g·mol−1
Density	7.46 g/cm3, solid
Melting point	1,650 °C (3,000 °F; 1,920 K)
Solubility in water	Insoluble in water
Structure
Crystal structure	Space group R3c
Lattice constant	a = 515.43 pm, c = 1378.35 pm[1]
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards	Acute Toxicity: Oral, Inhalation, Dermal
Safety data sheet (SDS)	[2]
Related compounds
Other anions	LiNbO3
Supplementary data page
Lithium tantalate (data page)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Y verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

Synthesis and processing

Lithium tantalate is produced by treating tantalum(V) oxide with lithium oxide. The use of excess alkali gives water-soluble polyoxotantalates. Single crystals of Lithium tantalate are pulled from the melt using the Czochralski method.^[3]

Applications

Lithium tantalate is used for nonlinear optics, passive infrared sensors such as motion detectors, terahertz generation and detection, surface acoustic wave applications, cell phones. Lithium tantalate is a standard detector element in infrared spectrophotometers.^[4]

Research

The phenomenon of pyroelectric fusion has been demonstrated using a lithium tantalate crystal producing a large enough charge to generate and accelerate a beam of deuterium nuclei into a deuterated target resulting in the production of a small flux of helium-3 and neutrons through nuclear fusion without extreme heat or pressure.^[5]

A difference between positively and negatively charged parts of pyroelectric LiTaO₃ crystals was observed when water freezes to them.^[6]

See also

• Lithium tantalate (data page)