Lithium carbide has been found as possible contamination in high purity lithium metal. Raman spectroscopy clearly shows its presence on the surface as well as in the bulk. Mass spectrometry revealed the formation of acetylene during hydrolization of lithium metal also for the bulk material. The total lithium content of the lithium sample is determined with ICP-OES and the ratio of oxygen to carbon is investigated with EDX for the surface and the bulk. Possible sources of the lithium carbide contamination in battery grade lithium are discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.