Essentially, all commercial rechargeable lithium batteries now use lithium-carbons as the negative electrode reactant. There is considerable interest in finding alternative materials that might be more attractive with respect to the ability to operate safely at higher Current densities, less first cycle irreversible capacity loss, better cycling behavior, reduced specific volume and weight, and lower cost. Binary and ternary metal-metal alloys are being considered in a number of laboratories as negative electrode reactants. Some metal alloys have theoretical specific capacities greater than that of graphite, lithium-silicon alloys being among the highest. However, the reaction of lithium with alloys generally involves structural modifications that result in substantial volume changes, resulting in deleterious capacity losses upon cycling. A different approach is the consideration of metal-metalloid alloys including nitrides, borides, and suicides. In some cases, their relatively light weight means that it may not be necessary that they react with large amounts of lithium to achieve attractive specific capacities. The surprise announcement by Fuji Photo Film of the use of convertible glassy oxides containing tin as lithium negative electrodes a few years ago has broadened the quest for alternative materials. At high lithium activities, i.e., low potentials, a displacement reaction occurs in this case that results in the formation of a composite microstructure. A precipitate of fine metallic tin particles is enclosed in a matrix of the residual oxide. This tin can subsequently react reversibly with additional lithium, forming a fine distribution of lithium-tin alloys. In addition to glassy oxides, other convertible precursors can also be considered for this purpose, including metal alloys, semiconductors, and metal-metalloid alloys. Experimental results will be reported showing that similar displacement reactions can occur in a number of materials containing silicon, including SiO, SiB3, and several metal disilicides. An irreversible reaction takes place during the first lithium loading that results in the formation of fine particles of amorphous silicon in an inert matrix of a residual phase that is related to the precursor. Upon further cycling, lithium reversibly reacts with the amorphous silicon particles, up to about I lithium per mol in some cases. Observations of the composition dependence of the potential during the first delithiation and the second lithiation cycles show that all of these materials have approximately the same potential profiles. Experiments on amorphous silicon alone give essentially the same results. The potential range in which these materials react is quite attractive.. making some of them interesting candidates for use as negative electrode reactants in lithium cells. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.