Chemical and Electrochemical Behavior of Lithium Electrodes in Dimethyl Sulfite, Electrolytic Solutions

Lithium has been shown to be chemically stable in dry solutions. If water is present above 20 ppm, the lithium reacts with the solution to form hydrogen gas and . Lithium electrodes are shown to exhibit two levels of electrochemical activity in sulfite solutions. The lower exchange current densities are attributed to film formation on the lithium due to trace water concentrations. For water concentrations below 500 ppm, the film can be removed by a 20 sec, 20 mA/cm2 anodic pulse. The exchange current density, , on a film free surface is 15 mA/cm2 for a solution. The transfer coefficient, α, is 0.49.