Production characteristics of Li−from powdery LiH immersed in argon and hydrogen discharges were investigated. The surface of the LiH powder was covered with a Mo mesh and a negative bias potential was applied to the mesh to bombard LiH powder with plasma ions. The amount of Li−current produced at the surface of the LiH powder was an increasing function of the bombarding ion energy. The decomposition of LiH by the ion bombardment accompanied the production of hydrogen gas, and the H−current was also extracted from the ion source plasma. The addition of Cs into a discharge showed little enhancement of Li−production.