Assertion (A) : The carbonate of lithium decomposes easily on heating to form lithium oxide and CO_(2) Reason (R) : Lithium being very small in size polarises large carbonate ion leading to the formation of more stable Li_(2)O and CO_(2).

Assertion (A) : The carbonate of lithium decomposes easily on heating

1.	Assertion (A) : The carbonate of lithium decomposes easily on heating to form lithium oxide and CO_(2) Reason (R) : Lithium being very small in size polarises large carbonate ion leading to the formation of more stable Li_(2)O and CO_(2).
Answer» Both A and R are CORRECT and R is the correct explanation of A. Both A and R are correct but R is not the correct explanation of A. Both A and R are not correct. A is not correct but R is correct Solution :`Li_(2)CO_(3)`is unstable and decomposes on heating . Due to small size of `Li^(+)`, it has strong POLARIZING power to distorts the electron cloud of `CO_(3)^(2-)` ION. Lattice energy of `Li_(2)O` is higher than `Li_(2)CO_(3)`.