Reactions of Li with Water

When placed in contact with water, pure lithium reacts to form lithium hydroxide and hydrogen gas.

Out of all the group 1 metals, lithium reacts the least violently, slowly releasing the hydrogen gas which may create a bright orange flame only if a substantial amount of lithium is used. This occurs because lithium has the highest activation energy of its group - that is, it takes more energy to remove lithium's one valence electron than with other group 1 elements, because lithium's electron is closer to its nucleus. Atoms with higher activation energies will react slower, although lithium will release more total heat through the entire process.