ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Lithium soap

Okay, so imagine you want to make a really good sandwich. You need bread, meat, and lots of other yummy ingredients. But sometimes the ingredients don't stick together very well. That's where something like peanut butter comes in. It's sticky and helps hold everything together.

Well, in a way, lithium soap is kind of like peanut butter for machines that move around a lot, like cars or airplanes. Inside those machines, there are lots of metal parts that rub against each other. And if they're not lubricated (that means they're not slippery), they can get really hot and start to break down.

That's where lithium soap comes in. It's a special kind of paste made out of tiny metal particles and something called lithium. When you put it on those metal parts that touch each other a lot, it helps them move smoothly and keeps them from getting too hot. It's like putting peanut butter on your bread to make it easier to eat.

So, to sum it up, lithium soap is a special kind of paste that helps parts in machines move smoothly and stay cool so they don't break down.