Lithium cell factlet

When you consider that disposable lithium cells contain much more lithium than rechargeable ones, it doesn't really seem logical to keep using disposable cells for many applications.

This also addresses the myth that rechargeable lithium batteries are dangerous because of the amount of lithium in them. It's actually the huge amount of energy they store and the flammable electrolyte that makes them dangerous. But only when charged. If you are discarding a product that contains a rechargeable lithium cell, try and ensure it is fully discharged before disposing of it.

As a rough rule of thumb, the lithium content of a rechargeable cell in grams is about 0.3 times the Ah capacity. So a 1000mAh cell (1Ah) contains about 0.3g of lithium.

The CR2032 has a power storage of 0.6Wh (200mAh x 3V). The lithium cell I chose also had a power capacity of 0.6Wh, but calculated at 3.6V (166mAh)

That wasn't actually lithium on my bench. It was calibrated solder blobs.

#shorts