Abstract.A new method for the preparation of ultrafine LiCoO2 with a layered crystal structure was developed, which consists in thermal pyrolysis of homogeneous lithium-cobalt-citrate precursors. Atomic scale mixing of Li and Co is achieved by citric acid acting as a chelating agent. Electron spectroscopy of concentrated Li-Co-citrate solutions with Li:Co:Cit=l: 1:1 and Li:Co:Cit=l:l:2 reveals that the predominant species at pH=7 are [C0(C6H507) ]-and [Co(C6H507)2] 4" complexes. Freeze-drying of the two types of solutions leads to the formation of LiCo(C6HsO7).nH20 and (NH4)3LiCo(C6HsO7)2.nH20 precursors, where Co 2+ ions are complexed by one and two triionized citrate ions, respectively, and Li § ions serve as counter ions. Between 400-600 ~ the thermal decomposition of these metal-citrate precursors yields LiCoO2 with layered and pseudo-spinel structure, the proportion between them being depending on: (i) the Co/citrate ratio; (ii) the concentration of the freeze-dried solution; (iii) the heating rate. At 400 ~ the most defectless layered LiCoO2, consisting of hexagonal individual particles with dimensions of 120-170 nm, is a product of the bis-citrate decomposition with a slow heating rate. For this sample, heating up to 600 ~ does not affect the crystal size dimensions. For ultrafine layered LiCoO 2 and LiCoO 2 obtained by solid state reaction at high-temperatures (850 ~ the deintercalation and intercalation reactions proceed in the 3.95 -3.99 and 3.86 -3.88 voltage intervals, respectively. For defect trigonal LiCoO2, additional oxidation and reduction peaks at 3.7 -3.8 and 3.4 -3.5 V were observed. We did not succeed in preparing monophase LiCoO2 with pseudo-spinel structure.