In cold THF and in the presence of LiCl, a lithium pyrrolidinylamide forms a 1:1 mixed aggregate, which is observed directly by ESI-MS. Gas-phase protonation of this species leads to selective transfer of H+ to the chlorine, suggesting that LiCl shields the amide nitrogen and prevents its direct protonation.
Lesage, Denis ; Barozzino Consiglio, Gabriella ; Duwald, Romain ; Fressigné, Catherine ; Harrison-Marchand, Anne ; et. al. A Lithium Amide Protected Against Protonation in the Gas Phase: Unexpected Effect of LiCl. In: The Journal of Organic Chemistry, Vol. 80, no.12, p. 6441-6446 (2015)