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Another difference is that chromates are wildly toxic...

• throwup238 2y ago
  Chromates are very rare in natural minerals and they’re mostly an industrial intermediate compound. Chromite is the common mineral converted to metal chromium for incorporation into alloys so the chromates are limited to the factory. Most other Cr bearing minerals contain chromium oxides. Other industrial lithium intermediates are also toxic, as is the concentrated brine it’s often extracted from. Since it’s concentration is so low, most lithium extraction is pretty nasty.