# What does a leaking li-ion battery smell like?



## Kryosphinx (May 8, 2006)

I suspect that one of my li-ion batts might be leaking. It has a very distinctive smell to it, but I don't know whether or not that smell indicates leaking.
What does a leaking li-ion battery smell like, if it has a smell at all?


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## snakebite (May 8, 2006)

i blew up some worn out li-ion to see how hard it was to cause a catastropic failure.
the ones that vented had an odor like juicyfruit gum.


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## Manzerick (May 8, 2006)

You should never be close enough to smell it!! j/k

any smell is bad and not even worth being near. If it's a sour chemical smell, it's your Li-ION but this is only with cell phone LI-ION's I have smelled(never a flashlight one) as I work in a building they repairs Motorola phones...





Kryosphinx said:


> I suspect that one of my li-ion batts might be leaking. It has a very distinctive smell to it, but I don't know whether or not that smell indicates leaking.
> What does a leaking li-ion battery smell like, if it has a smell at all?


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## Manzerick (May 8, 2006)

I would say Juicy Fruit lit on fire in it's wrapper 



snakebite said:


> i blew up some worn out li-ion to see how hard it was to cause a catastropic failure.
> the ones that vented had an odor like juicyfruit gum.


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## Desert_AIP (May 9, 2006)

We use Lithium batteries a lot in the Navy. 
Standard warnings in our pubs reference SO2 as a sign of leaking or venting batteries. 
Sulphur Dioxide smells like rotten eggs.


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## thefish (May 9, 2006)

I had a RCR123A leak on me in the charger, it had a smell, not really strong, and not really bad, but it was a smell for sure. Well that battery (and its mate in the charger) both ended up in the recycling can.


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## Kryosphinx (May 9, 2006)

Mine smells like rubbing alcohol mixed with burning stuff, but that may be from me rinsing the bulb with isopropyl alcohol. the batt works fine, so i'm assuming it's ok.


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## Illum (May 9, 2006)

Sometimes people get confused about the smell and whether it was from the batteries or the surrounding enviroment, I know I did. [I was newbish when I bought my inova xo, long ago] the "white lithium grease" was pushed up into the top elecrical constact and flowd down into the tube...so my lithiums are freshly lubed while still maintaining good electrical contact...

the first thing I saw when i unscrewed the tailcap was this white sticky gellike compound... and the smell was...sour...a little like WD-40...dont know how you would describe it...


I guess im speaking out of line here...:lolsign:




Kryosphinx said:


> Mine smells like rubbing alcohol mixed with burning stuff, but that may be from me rinsing the bulb with isopropyl alcohol. the batt works fine, so i'm assuming it's ok.



Does Alcohol clean the contacts of the bulb and battery? or contrary to popular belief it just corrodes the terminals?


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## David_Campen (May 9, 2006)

> Standard warnings in our pubs reference SO2 as a sign of leaking or venting batteries.
> Sulphur Dioxide smells like rotten eggs.


This would be from Lithium/Thionyl chloride (SOCl2) primary cells. Thionyl chloride reacts with moisture to produce SO2 which has a sour smell.

LiIon secondary cells contain solvents like ethyl acetate and ethyl carbonate which have a fruity etheral smell.


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## Nobleman (Jan 15, 2008)

Hmmm, new to using CR123's I've noticed they have the rubbing alcohol smell fresh out of the packaging, and if my light is on too long and they begin to overheat, the rubbing alcohol smell is very strong. I hope to never find out what an exploded one smells like.


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## Fallingwater (Jan 15, 2008)

snakebite said:


> i blew up some worn out li-ion to see how hard it was to cause a catastropic failure.


How hard was it?


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## jayflash (Jan 15, 2008)

Almost all lithium cells, good or bad, smell like ether which is used for starting balky engines. This is a somewhat fruity/alcohol/volatile hydrocarbon fragrance - nothing like rotten eggs. In my experience, it's normal to smell this anytime a package or light is opened up.


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## jugg2 (Jan 15, 2008)

Fallingwater said:


> How hard was it?


 
Lol, the easy way is to throw them in a fire. I did that with a primary lithium, and it is somewhat violent. I sure wouldn't want it in my pocket! The cell was dead, so I don't know if that makes a difference. I'm going to try a few more this weekend, a couple dead, and a couple that are good to see if there is a difference.

EDIT: This is very dangerous! Do not attempt! I am doing this at my own risk.


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## Illum (Jan 16, 2008)

:hahaha:  :sweat:


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## Fallingwater (Jan 16, 2008)

jugg2 said:


> Lol, the easy way is to throw them in a fire. I did that with a primary lithium, and it is somewhat violent. I sure wouldn't want it in my pocket! The cell was dead, so I don't know if that makes a difference. I'm going to try a few more this weekend, a couple dead, and a couple that are good to see if there is a difference.
> 
> EDIT: This is very dangerous! Do not attempt! I am doing this at my own risk.


Film it and post the movie.


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## Sgt. LED (Jan 16, 2008)

For sure!
Post a film, I wanna see.
:twothumbs


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## jugg2 (Jan 16, 2008)

I'll try, all I have is a digital camera, but I'll see what I can do. It's raining down here now so if the rain doesn't let up I may not be able to build a fire. But I hope I can:devil:


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## dulridge (Jan 16, 2008)

Desert_AIP said:


> We use Lithium batteries a lot in the Navy.
> Standard warnings in our pubs reference SO2 as a sign of leaking or venting batteries.
> Sulphur Dioxide smells like rotten eggs.



It doesn't. Hydrogen sulphide smells like rotten eggs (H2S). SO2 smells incredibly acrid - due to small formation of sulphuric acid in your mouth and nose. You will know about sulphur dioxide and once smelled, it is never forgotten.


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