To increase the cyclability of lithium batteries using organic cathode materials of low molecular weights, two lithiooxycarbonyl (-CO2Li) groups was introduced to p- and o-quinones. The introduction of two -CO2Li groups does not strongly affect the redox potentials of quinones. Lithium batteries using p- and o-quinones with two -CO2Li groups as cathode materials exhibit excellent cyclability compared to their parent quinones. In particular, yrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone having two lithiooxycarbonyl groups (LCPYT) exhibited high energy density, high cyclability, and fast charge ability. These results indicate that introduction of two lithiooxycarbonyl groups to quinones serves as a simple and effective way to decrease the solubility of various quinones in electrolyte solutions without significant decrease in the voltage. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.