[Grundalizer]

When I show up to parties I like to do science tricks to wow people, partly because I love science and enjoy sharing it with others, and partly because maybe some day it will net me a hot nerd chick.

Anyway, I took apart some alkaline batteries, and mixed the manganese dioxide with hydrogen peroxide to get Oxygen gas, and was putting splints and burning stuff in it.  Fun.

Then I moved onto something I hadn't done before, taking apart an old cell phone lithium ion rechargeable battery.  I had seen it done online, and in the video I had seen a nice tarnished silvery metal strip when the lithium strip was unrolled.  In the case of the two batteries I took apart, I found a thinner metal ribbon that looked like aluminum coated with a thicker black layer.  I thought at first it was blackened lithium, as I know it reacts with the  moisture in the air.

Anyway, while taking it apart it wreaked like something I had not smelled before.  I'd have to say it was rather not good smelling and it felt like I was NOT supposed to be breathing it.  You know how some things smell really bad, but you feel ok smelling them?  This one made you not want to be near it. 

It sort of smelled like nail polish remover (acetone) and maybe a hint of some perfumy or pine treeish smell but...I can't figure it out.  I've smelled a good deal of organic solvents in the laboratory at my college and this one was unique.  I tried to do some googling but didn't come up with anything, anyone have any ideas?

[Grundalizer]

Just found this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_battery

A list of not so friendly electrolytes and solvents...I have no idea which type of Li battery it was though.


And after reading more, I think it's either dimethoxyethane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethoxyethane

or

gamma-Butyrolactone  which they say has a unique smell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-butyrolactone