Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.131, No.29, 9904-9904, 2009
Electrochemical Isotope Effect and Lithium Isotope Separation
A large electrochemical isotopic effect is observed upon the electrodeposition of lithium from solutions of propylene carbonate producing isotopically tight metal deposits. The magnitude of fractionation is controlled by the applied overpotential and is largest close to equilibrium. Calculated partition function ratios for tetrahedrally coordinated lithium complexes and metallic lithium predict an equilibrium fractionation close to that measured experimentally.