Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Getting Lithium from a Battery

Animaniac888 - 18-10-2014 at 17:18

I'm not a huge experimenter by any means and do not have a thorough or professional knowledge of science, but I have always been interested in alkali metal reactions and recently decided to try to extract some lithium from Energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries. I bought some from the store a few days ago and just today tried to get one open with some pliers. However, after removing the positive terminal and trying to peel back at the outer shell to remove the valve, I got a small spark and the battery warmed up, which I'm pretty sure signifies that I shorted it. After throwing it out back and waiting about an hour, I retrieved it. While nothing happened and I disposed of the battery normally, this did allow me to realize that it seems quite easy to short these things and that I should probably be a little more careful and deliberate in going about this.

One thing that worries me is the possibility of shorts, and it seems as though even bridging the terminals for a split second poses a large risk. Is there any way to mitigate this risk or should I simply be extremely fastidious in peeling back the steel casing?

Another issue is that of gases. I am opening the battery outside, but I am still not sure if I should worry about gases being released from inside the battery. Also, I know that the iron(II) sulfide within the battery releases hydrogen sulfide when reacting with HCl, which shouldn't be a problem, but am not sure if there is anything else I should be worried about with the iron disulfide.

One minor issue is with the storage of the lithium. I'm currently counting on some "Mineral Oil Digestive Lubricant" from Walgreens, but I'm not sure if that will cut it.

hyfalcon - 18-10-2014 at 17:23

Does no one search before starting a new topic any more!?

http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=32946

Also be sure to read this one:

http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=19143

and for your spoon feed of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BliWUHSOalU

[Edited on 19-10-2014 by hyfalcon]

[Edited on 19-10-2014 by hyfalcon]

Texium - 18-10-2014 at 20:11

I have the exact Walgreens "Intestinal Lubricant" that you refer to, and although I haven't stored any alkali metals in it, I have had some weird results with storing other things, so you might want to try only putting a small amount of the lithium in the oil first to see if it will be good enough.

diddi - 18-10-2014 at 21:10

agree. youtube has several vids about the topic. Li rapidly oxidises to a black surface (in seconds) so be ready to work in the driest environment you can, and preferably under argon if you want a good looking specimen. I am yet to see an oil that can hold Li, Na, K etc in perfect condition.

blargish - 18-10-2014 at 21:50

Quote: Originally posted by Animaniac888  
I'm not a huge experimenter by any means and do not have a thorough or professional knowledge of science, but I have always been interested in alkali metal reactions and recently decided to try to extract some lithium from Energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries. I bought some from the store a few days ago and just today tried to get one open with some pliers. However, after removing the positive terminal and trying to peel back at the outer shell to remove the valve, I got a small spark and the battery warmed up, which I'm pretty sure signifies that I shorted it. After throwing it out back and waiting about an hour, I retrieved it. While nothing happened and I disposed of the battery normally, this did allow me to realize that it seems quite easy to short these things and that I should probably be a little more careful and deliberate in going about this.

One thing that worries me is the possibility of shorts, and it seems as though even bridging the terminals for a split second poses a large risk. Is there any way to mitigate this risk or should I simply be extremely fastidious in peeling back the steel casing?

Another issue is that of gases. I am opening the battery outside, but I am still not sure if I should worry about gases being released from inside the battery. Also, I know that the iron(II) sulfide within the battery releases hydrogen sulfide when reacting with HCl, which shouldn't be a problem, but am not sure if there is anything else I should be worried about with the iron disulfide.

One minor issue is with the storage of the lithium. I'm currently counting on some "Mineral Oil Digestive Lubricant" from Walgreens, but I'm not sure if that will cut it.


While you should be wary of a short, it really is not that major of a problem. I just recently extracted lithium from some energizer batteries as well, and there were countless times where the pliers that I used bridge the + and - terminals causing a spark. Usually, after this happens a couple times, the battery will warm up. When the battery gets pretty warm, I then stopped prying at the casing, and resumed once the battery had cooled again slightly. Really, the only issue is when a permanent short is created, causing the battery to get considerably and uncomfortably hot. This actually almost happened to me when I bent a part of the casing towards the positive terminal by accident; however, I was able to bend the piece back before the short got out of hand. Don't let small sparks deter you as you take the battery apart, but do be wary of a very significant raise in temperature.

As long as you take apart the battery outside (and with gloves on) you should be good.

As far as storage goes, I kept my lithium foil in a bottle with some mineral oil, and a plastic plug placed on top of them keeping them completely submerged. Eventually, they will still tarnish somewhat, but it's good enough for my purpose.
Also, make sure you have your means of storage on hand as you unwrap the core of the battery. As soon as you unwrap the core, the lithium will be exposed to the air and start tarnishing immediately. The faster you get the lithium into an inert environment, the better it looks.

Animaniac888 - 19-10-2014 at 08:21

Thanks for the replies.

To zts16:

What "weird results" have you gotten exactly?

To blargish:

Thanks for the tips. What kind of mineral oil did you use?

Brain&Force - 19-10-2014 at 18:32

One spark does not imply the battery has been shorted. I've never had a battery not ignite on me. If the battery really fails catastrophically it will simply catch fire.

The best way is to get a pipe cutter and slice the steel casing in the middle. Don't cut into the white core of the battery. Then remove the top, pull out the core, unwrap the core, and extract the lithium.

j_sum1 - 19-10-2014 at 18:50

I don't have a pipe cutter but I employ much the same method. I carefully cut through the casing about 1cm from the positive end using a hacksaw blade taking care not to damage anything internally. I can then pull the top off and easily remove the contents. I then unroll quickly and put straight into oil.

(The plastic inside is impregnated with lithium and makes a great little flame test. Simply hit it with a bunsen and watch the vivid colour. (Li has to have one of the nicest spectra.) I also collect the other strip. It has a lot of cobalt on it. I might get around to doing something with that at some stage. Co is so interesting.)

blargish - 19-10-2014 at 19:00

Quote: Originally posted by Animaniac888  
Thanks for the replies.
Thanks for the tips. What kind of mineral oil did you use?


It was labeled as "Heavy Mineral Oil" used as a laxative. Picked it up at the pharmacy (shoppers drug mart)

j_sum, which is the cobalt strip? Is it the one covered in the iron disulfide?

j_sum1 - 19-10-2014 at 19:08

Now you mention it, I am not 100% sure it is cobalt. I have been collecting but haven't done any actual testing. I know that there are variations in construction and one site I read mentioned that Co was used. I have been disassembling a cheap supermarket brand and not Energisers. They contain a papery substance covered in a greyish dust. I have been just folding them up and putting them aside.
It might be time to investigate properly.

Texium - 19-10-2014 at 19:38

Quote: Originally posted by Animaniac888  
To zts16:

What "weird results" have you gotten exactly?
Well, for starters, I decided to keep a few metals in it for my element collection, just to keep them looking shiny and nice. I put some freshly cleaned copper wire bits in a vial of it, and they looked great for a few days, but then suddenly turned as brown as a 40 year old penny. My magnesium ribbon on the other hand gets along with it just fine.
I also tried to use some to keep some ferrous sulfate from oxidizing, and it ruined it, while the stuff I have exposed to the air is just fine.

Brain&Force - 21-10-2014 at 09:49

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1  
Now you mention it, I am not 100% sure it is cobalt. I have been collecting but haven't done any actual testing. I know that there are variations in construction and one site I read mentioned that Co was used. I have been disassembling a cheap supermarket brand and not Energisers. They contain a papery substance covered in a greyish dust. I have been just folding them up and putting them aside.
It might be time to investigate properly.


They contain iron disulfide but some batteries contain cobalt or manganese oxides.