How do I disassociate Li2CO3

I have tried Li_2CO_3--> 2Li^+ + 3CO^2-

What am I doing wrong?

Both of you are wrong. The dissociastion for Li2CO3 is as follows:

Li2CO3 ==> 2Li^+ + CO3^2-

2Li2CO3 -> 4Li+2CO2+O2

So I have to balance the equation?

The dissociation rules are:
-oxidation numbers become the charge
-subscripts become coefficients
-groups stay together
-no break up of weak acids, weak bases or insolubles.

I tried to type in the answer and the computer didn't like it. Could my problem be that this is a "weak" compound?

yes you always need to balance the equation.It's in the law of conservation of mass..

Some metallic carbonates, when heated, decompose to form the metal oxide and carbon dioxide,

so:
Li2CO3 ---> Li2O + CO2

That is correct. Many metallic carbonates do decompose to CO2 and the metal oxide (as in your equation for Li2CO3); however, the original question was for the dissociation of Li2CO3 and not for heating Li2CO3.

To disassociate Li2CO3, you need to understand the concept of dissociation and the stoichiometry of the compound.

Li2CO3, also known as lithium carbonate, is an ionic compound. Therefore, when it dissolves in water, it will disassociate into its constituent ions: two lithium ions (Li+) and one carbonate ion (CO32-).

The correct equation for the dissociation of Li2CO3 is:

Li2CO3 (s) --> 2Li+ (aq) + CO32- (aq)

The state symbol "(s)" represents the compound in its solid state, while "(aq)" represents the species dissolved in water (aqueous state).

The equation you tried, Li_2CO_3 --> 2Li^+ + 3CO^2-, contains a couple of errors. Firstly, the subscript numbers should not be written as superscripts. Secondly, the carbonate ion (CO32-) has a charge of -2, not -3. So, the correct formula for the carbonate ion is CO32-, not CO^2-.

To summarize, the correct way to disassociate Li2CO3 is to write the equation as:

Li2CO3 (s) --> 2Li+ (aq) + CO32- (aq)