Lithium oxalate

Lithium oxalate is an organic compound with the chemical formula Li2C2O4. It is a salt of lithium metal and oxalic acid. It consists of lithium cations Li+ and oxalate anions C2O4(2−). Lithium oxalate is soluble in water and converts to lithium oxide when heated.

Synthesis
One of the methods of synthesis is the reaction of direct neutralization of oxalic acid with lithium hydroxide:
 * 2 LiOH + H2C2O4 → Li2C2O4 + 2 H2O

Properties
The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic system, cell parameters a = 3.400 Å, b = 5.156 Å, c = 9.055 Å, β = 95.60°, Z = 4.

Lithium oxalate decomposes when heated at 410-500 C:
 * Li2C2O4 → Li2CO3 + CO

Applications
In pyrotechnics, the compound is used to color the flame red.