Some Observations on the Attack of Esters by Lithium

Deposition and discharge of lithium on an inert (nickel) substrate was studied in an electrolyte composed of 1M LiCl04 in methyl pivalate. As with methyl acetate, cycling efficiencies were less than 10%, and the corrosion rate was greater than 200 microamps/sq cm. In methyl pivalate, the corrosion rate of the electrodeposited metal was relatively unaffected by SO2 or nitromethane, unlike methyl acetate. The similar behavior of the two pure esters implies a corrosion mechanism involving initial electron transfer to the carbonyl carbon rather than alpha hydrogen abstraction.