a b s t r a c tAn investigation has been carried out into the lower limits of halide incorporation in lithium amide (LiNH 2 ). It was found that the lithium amide iodide Li 3 (NH 2 ) 2 I was unable to accommodate any variation in stoichiometry. In contrast, some variation in stoichiometry was accommodated in Li 7 (NH 2 ) 6 Br, as shown by a decrease in unit cell volume when the bromide content was reduced. The amide chloride Li 4 (NH 2 ) 3 Cl was found to adopt either a rhombohedral or a cubic structure depending on the reaction conditions. Reduction in chloride content generally resulted in a mixture of phases, but a new rhombohedral phase with the stoichiometry Li 7 (NH 2 ) 6 Cl was observed. In comparison to LiNH 2 , this new lowchloride phase exhibited similar improved hydrogen desorption properties as Li 4 (NH 2 ) 3 Cl but with a much reduced weight penalty through addition of chloride. Attempts to dope lithium amide with fluoride ions have so far proved unsuccessful.Ó 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.