TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Medium: The non-aqueous medium is chosen from non-aqueous liquid polar solvents, solid polymers and polymer gels.Preferred Solvent: The non-aqueous polar solvent is an organic solvent chosen from ethers such as diethylether, 1,2-dimethoxy ethane, tetrahydrofuran and/or dioxolane, esters, sulfones, nitriles and/or lactones, carbonates such as ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate and dialkyl carbonate of formula R1OC(O)OR2.R1 and R2 = 1-4C alkyl.The lactone is gama- butyrolactone.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Anode: The anode is chosen from lithium alloys, lithium metal intercalation compounds of carbon and graphite, lithium metal intercalating metal oxide and/or lithium metal intercalating metal chalcogenides.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Cathode: The cathode is chosen from transition metal oxide, transition metal chalcogenide, poly(carbon disulfide) polymer, organo disulfide redox polymer, polyaniline, organo disulfide/polyaniline composite and/or transition metaloxysulfide. The separator is a microporous polyethylene film or a porous glass membrane. Preferred Definitions:    Zasterisk = cyanide, azide, amide, optionally substituted amidinide, dicyanamide, optionally substituted imidazolide, optionally substituted imidazolinide, optionally substituted benzoimidazolide, tricyanomethide, tetracyanoborate, puride, squarate, optionally substituted 1,2,3-triazolide, optionally substituted 1,2,4- triazolide, optionally substituted pyrimidinide, optionally substituted tetraimidazoylborate, optionally substituted tris(imidazoyl)fluoroborate and/or optionally substituted bis(imidazoyl) difluoroborate anions, preferably imidazolide, 2- methylimidazolide, 4-methylimidazolide, benzoimidazolide and/or dimethylamide, where the substituents are chosen from halo, hydrocarbyl, halohydrocarbyl, silyl, silylhydrocarbyl and/or halocarbyl group of up to 20 atoms not counting hydrogen, and the two substituents present forms an (un)saturated ring system;    Jasterisk = Lewis acid chosen from groups of formulae (I-V), preferably BR13 or AlR13, most preferably BF3; and    R1 = halogen, 1- 20C alkyl, halogenated alkyl, alkoxide, aryloxide, fluorinated alkoxide and/or fluorinated aryloxide, most preferably CF3CH2O, C3F7CH2O, (CF3)2CHO, (CF3)2(CH3)CO, (CF3)2(C6H5)CO, (CF3)3CO, FC6H4O, F2C6H3O, F3C6H2O, F4C6HO, C6F5O, (CF3)C6H4O and/or (CF3)2C6H3O.    Masterisk = aluminum or boron;    R1 = halide, alkyl, aryl, alkoxide, aryloxide, dialkylamido, halogenated alkyl, halogenated aryl, halogenated alkoxide and/or halogenated aryloxide, and has 20 carbon atoms; and    Arf1-Arf2 = 6-20C divalent aromatic group.    SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS - The ionically conductive salt is a lithium salt chosen from lithium bis(trifluoroborane)imidazolide, lithium bis(trifluoroborane)-2-methylimidazolide, lithium bis(trifluoroborane)-4-methylimidazolide, lithium bis(trifluoroborane)-2-isopropylimidazolide, lithium bis(trifluoroborane)benzimidazolide, lithium bis(trifluoroborane)dimethylamide, lithium bis(trifluoroborane)diisopropylamide, lithium bis(trimethoxyborane)imidazolide, lithium bis(trimethoxyborane)-2-methylimidazolide, lithium bis(trimethoxyborane)-4-methylimidazolide, lithium bis(trimethoxyborane)-2-isopropylimidazolide, lithium bis(trimethoxyborane)benzimidazolide, lithium bis(trimethoxyborane)dimethylamide, lithium bis(trimethoxyborane)diisopropylamide, lithium tetrakis(trifluoroborane)tetraimidazoylborate, lithium tris(trifluoroborane)triimidazoylfluoroborate, lithium bis(trifluoroborane)diimidazoyldifluoroborate, lithium tetrakis(trifluoroborane)tetrakis(dimethylamino)borate, lithium tris(trifluoroborane)tris(dimethylamino)fluoroborate and/or lithium bis(trifluoroborane)bis(dimethylamino)difluoroborate.    EXAMPLE - A slurry of imidazole (5 g) in toluene (50 ml) was treated with 2.65 M n-butyl lithium (28 mL) solution in hexane. The mixture was refluxed for 3 days, and the slurry was filtered over a medium glass frit and the solid was washed with two 10 mL portions of toluene, and dried under vacuum, to obtain lithium imidazolide (LiC3H3N2) at a yield of 5.40 g.