Lithiated nickel oxide

A process for producing lithiated nickel oxide powder of approximately predetermined Li.sup..sym. cation content which comprises providing particulate NiO in a predetermined amount of precursor therefor, providing a source of Li.sup..sym. cation in a predetermined amount, providing an alkali chloride salt selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, potassium chloride and mixtures thereof, forming a mixture of said NiO or precursor therefor, said source of Li.sup..sym. cation and said chloride salt solvent, heating said mixture to a reaction temperature at least sufficient to melt said chloride salt, dissolving in said molten solvent the source of Li.sup..sym. cation and a portion of the NiO particles, said precursor decomposing completely at or below said reaction temperature to produce said NiO particles and by-product gas, said source of Li.sup..sym. cation being dissolvable in said molten chloride solvent to produce Li.sup..sym. cation and by-product gas, reacting the dissolved NiO and Li.sup..sym. cation in said molten solvent precipitating the resulting lithiated nickel oxide onto the undissolved NiO particles forming an adherent black encapsulating coating thereon, said molten chloride solvent being maintained at a reaction temperature lower than the temperature at which said lithiated nickel oxide melts, said alkali chloride solvent being present in an amount at least sufficient to carry out said reaction, and recovering the coated NiO particles by dissolving said chloride salt and separating said coated NiO particles from the resulting salt solution.