341. Aluminum Hydride

Nomenclature

CAS number: 7784-21-6
AlH3; mol wt 30.01.
Al 89.91%, H 10.08%.

Description and references

Mild, selective reducing agent. Prepd by treating lithium hydride with an ether solution of aluminum chloride: A. E. Finholt et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 69, 1199 (1947). Brief review: K. Lopinti, Synlett 2005, 2265-2266.

Properties

Colorless solid, nonvolatile, probably highly polymerized and containing residual ether which cannot be completely removed. Dangerous when wet.

Use

As catalyst for polymerizations; reducing agent. Lithium aluminum hydride, q.v. is a more powerful reagent because of its greater soly.