37  US 9,660,311 B2  38  23. The cell of item 20, wherein the carboxylic acid is  malonic acid and the concentration of malonic acid in the  catholyte is about 0.5 molar, and further wherein the  concentration of the lithium nitrate salt is about 1 molar.  24. The cell of any of items 1-23, wherein the alkali  metal/oxygen electrochemical energy storage cell is a  lithium oxygen battery cell.  25. The cell of item 24, wherein the lithium oxygen battery  cell is a lithium air battery cell open to ambient air for  accessing active oxygen that is reduced at the cathode of  the cell during discharge.  26. The cell any of items 1-25 wherein the pH of the  catholyte prior to initial discharge is less than 7, less than  6, less than 5, less than 4, or less than 3.  27. The cell any of items 1-25 wherein the pH of the  catholyte prior to initial discharge is in the range of 7 to  3, in the range of 6 to 3, in the range of 5 to 3, or in the  range of 4 to 3.  28. The cell of item 1, wherein the catholyte comprises:  water; and  an amino acid dissolved in water, the amino acid represented  by the following general formula  wherein R represents an aliphatic or aromatic optionally  substituted organic divalent radical.  33. The cell of item 32, wherein the acid is selected from the  group consisting of citric acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid,  2-hydroxypropionic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, 2-hy› droxybutyric acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid.  34. The cell of item 32, wherein the carboxylic acid is citric  acid.  35. The cell of item 34, wherein the concentration of citric  acid is between 0.5 molar to 2 molar.  a metal acid salt of a polycarboxylic acid comprising a  carboxylate anion, one or more acidic protons, and one or  more metal cations or a neutral or acid onium salt of  36. The cell of item 1, wherein the catholyte comprises:  wherein R represents an aliphatic or aromatic optionally  substituted organic divalent radical.  29. The cell of item of 28, wherein the nitrogen atom of the  amino group is protonated with a proton of a strong acid  yielding amino acid aminium salt.  30. The cell of item 29, wherein the amino acid aminium salt  is selected from the group consisting of an amino acid  nitrate, an amino acid hydrosulfate, an amino acid sulfate,  and an amino acid perchlorate.  31. The cell of item 28, wherein the amino acid is selected  from the group glycine, alanine, praline, and aminoma› lonic acid.  32. The cell of item 1, wherein the catholyte comprises:  water; and  a hydroxy acid dissolved in water, the hydroxy acid repre- sented by the following general formula  0  //  R-C  I  \  NH2  OH  0  //  R-C  I  \  OH  OH  polycarboxylic acid comprising a carboxylate anion, one or  more onium cations, and one or more acidic protons if the  onium salt is an acid onium salt;  wherein the metal acid salt or the onium neutral or acid salt  is present in the catholyte prior to actively operating the  battery cell.  37. The cell of item 36, wherein the cation of the metal acid  salt is the alkali metal cation.  38. The cell of item 36, wherein the cation of the metalacid  salt is lithium.  39. The cell of item 36, wherein the polycarboxylic acid  from which the acid salt is derived has a first acidic proton  that is neutralized in the partial neutralization process and  a second acidic proton that is not neutralized said process,  and further wherein the second acidic proton actively  partakes in the cell discharge reaction.  40. The cell of item 36, wherein the metal acid salt is an  alkali metal hydrogen carboxylate.  41. The cell of item 36, wherein the metal acid salt is a  lithium hydrogen carboxylate.  42. The cell of item 36, wherein the metal acid salt is  selected from the group consisting of lithium hydrogen  malonate, lithium dihydrogen citrate, and dilithium  hydrogen citrate.  43. The cell of item 36, wherein the acid onium salt is an  acid aminium salt where an aminium cation contains  nitrogen atom protonated by a polycarboxylic acid.  44. The cell of item 43, wherein the acid aminium salt has  two types of acidic protons: a first type on a carboxylic  group, and a second type on a primary, secondary, or  tertiary anm10nium cation, both of which are available to  actively partake in a discharge reaction of the cell.  45. The cell of item 43, wherein the aminium cation is  imidazolium.  46. The cell of item 43, wherein the acid aminium salt is an  imidazolium hydrogen carboxylate.  47. The cell of item 43, wherein the aminium acid salt is  selected from the group consisting of imidazolium hydro› gen malonate, imidazolium hydrogen citrate, and imida› zolium dihydrogen citrate.  48. The cell of item 1, further comprising a non-aqueous  protic solvent.  49. The cell of item 48, wherein the non-aqueous protic  solvent is a mono- or polyatomic alcohol.  50. The cell of item 1, further comprising a non-aqueous  aprotic solvent.  51. The cell of item 50, wherein the non-aqueous aprotic  solvent is selected from the group consisting ofDMF and  DMSO.  52. The cell of item 1, wherein the catholyte comprises:  water; and  an inorganic acid salt selected from the group consisting  of lithium dihydrogen phosphate and lithium hydrogen  selenite, and combinations thereof.  an aprotic solvent; and  water;  53. The cell of item 1, wherein the catholyte comprises:  a carboxylic acid derivative, wherein the hydroxyl moiety  of the carboxyl group is replaced by an atom or a group of  atoms comprising an electronegative atom, and the chemical  group is not a hydroxyl group.  54. The cell of item 53, wherein said electronegative atom  is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen  or a halogen.  55. The cell of item 53, wherein the carboxylic acid deriva› tive is represented by the following general formula: 