Identification of surface films formed on lithium surfaces in γ-butyrolactone solutions. I: Uncontaminated solutions

Surface films formed on lithium surfaces in γ-butyrolactone (BL) solutions were studied using FTIR and NMR. Two types of lithium surfaces were studied: solid lithium and lithium amalgam. In both cases, the main components of those surface flms were lithium butyrate (CH 3 CH 2 CH 2 COOLi) and a lithium salt of a cyclic β-keto ester anion. Their mechanism of formation is discussed