Cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) fibers were prepared by spinning from liquid crystalline (LC) solutions containing lithium chloride (LiCl). Ionic interactions were observed between carbonyl oxygen and lithium cation by C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Isotropization of the anisotropic phase by LiCl was found to cause a dramatic rise in the viscosity of LC solutions. The mechanosorptive creep behavior described earlier decreased in the presence of residual LiCl salt, possibly due to the formation of electrostatic interactions between Li+ and CAB backbone.