FTIR, density and electric conduction investigations have been carried out on the glasses xBaO center dot(30-x) Li2O center dot 70B(2)O(3) (0 <= x <= 30 mol%) and xBaO center dot(40-x)Li2O center dot 60B(2)O(3) (0 <= x <= 40 mol%). The fraction N-4 of four coordinated boron atoms does not change with x and its value is around that of related binary glasses. The behavior of glasses as mixed matrices is observed in the dependence of N-4, D and V-m on composition. Mixed modifier effect is observed as maxima in the activation energy for electric conduction. The maxima appear at compositions of nearly equal concentration of Li+ and Ba2+ ions. It is deduced that the mixed cation effect might be correlated with the concentration of modifier ions, rather than the modifier oxide. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.