Li deposited on LiCl: an efficient reducing agent

Lithium was deposited onto lithium chloride powder in a ∼5% weight/weight ratio. This material serves as a source of elemental lithium with benefits over bulk lithium alternatives including increased mass to facilitate measurement for small scale reactions and increased surface area. The Li/LiCl material is applied in the synthesis of a dilithiobutadienide that is transformed into a stannole with a drastic decrease in reaction time and notable increase in yield over commercial lithium granules.