Salt lakes in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in the western China are famous for their high concentration of the lithium ion.The major chemical composition of brines can be expressed as the complex brine system of Li⁺,Na⁺,K⁺,Mg²⁺//Cl^-,SO₄^2-,CO₂^3-,borate-H₂O.Studies of the phase equilibria and thermodynamics of salt-water systems are of great significance either for the comprehensive utilization of brine resources or for the understanding of the genesis,the metallogenic process and the chemical behavior of these brines.In this paper,the stable and metastable phase equilibria of lithium-containing salt-water systems and thermodynamics of several lithium salts and their aqueous solutions are reviewed.And the problems at the present and the new trends in the future are discussed.

salt lake brine system  /  phase equilibria  /  thermodynamics  /  lithium salts