Alane can adopt 3-, 4-, or 6-coordination, depending on conditions.
Solid alane, which is colorless and nonvolatile, precipitates from etherial solutions over the course of hours at room temperature. Numerous polymorphs can be obtained, which have been labeled α-, α’-, β-, γ-, ε-, and ζ-alanes. The best characterized solid alane is α-alane. According to X-ray crystallography, adopts a cubic or rhombohedral morphology. It features octahedral AlH6 centers interconnected by Al-H-Al bridges. The Al-H distances are all equivalent (172 pm) and the Al-H-Al angles are 141°. α’-Alane forms needle-like crystals, and γ-alane forms bundles of fused needles.
Alane is not spontaneously flammable. Even so, "similar handling and precautions as... exercised for Li[AlH4]" (the chemical reagent, lithium aluminium hydride) are recommended, as its "reactivity [is] comparable" to this related reducing reagent. For these reagents, both preparations in solutions and isolated solids are "highly flammable and must be stored in the absence of moisture". Laboratory guides recommend alane use inside a fume hood.[why?] Solids of this reagent type carry recommendations of handling "in a glove bag or dry box". After use, solution containers are typically sealed tightly with concomitant flushing with inert gas to exclude the oxygen and moisture of ambient air.
Aluminium hydrides and various complexes thereof have long been known. Its first synthesis was published in 1947, and a patent for the synthesis was assigned in 1999. Aluminium hydride is prepared by treating lithium aluminium hydride with aluminium trichloride. The procedure is intricate: attention must be given to the removal of lithium chloride.
3 Li[AlH4] + AlCl3 → 4 AlH3 + 3 LiCl
The ether solution of alane requires immediate use, because polymeric material rapidly precipitates as a solid. Aluminium hydride solutions are known to degrade after 3 days. Aluminium hydride is more reactive than Li[AlH4].
In reaction 2, the aluminium anode is consumed, limiting the production of aluminium hydride for a given electrochemical cell.
The crystallization and recovery of aluminium hydride from electrochemically generated alane has been demonstrated.
Similar adducts are assumed to form when alane is generated in THF from lithium aluminium hydride.
Various alanates have been characterized beyond lithium aluminium hydride. They tend to feature five- and six-coordinate Al centers: Na3AlH6, Ca(AlH4))2, SrAlH5).
In terms of functional group selectivity, alane differs from other hydride reagents. For example, in the following cyclohexanone reduction, lithium aluminium hydride gives a trans:cis ratio of 1.9 : 1, whereas aluminium hydride gives a trans:cis ratio of 7.3 : 1.
Alane enables the hydroxymethylation of certain ketones (that is the replacement of C−H by C−CH2OH at the alpha position). The ketone itself is not reduced as it is "protected" as its enolate.
Aluminium hydride reduces acetals to half protected diols.
In its passivated form, alane is an active candidate for storing hydrogen, and can be used for efficient power generation via fuel cell applications, including fuel cell and electric vehicles and other lightweight power applications.
AlH3 contains up 10.1% hydrogen by weight (at a density of 1.48 grams per milliliter), or twice the hydrogen density of liquid H2. As of 2006, AlH3 was described as a candidate for which "further research w[ould] be required to develop an efficient and economical process to regenerate [it] from the spent Al powder".[needs update]
Heated alane releases hydrogen gas and produces a very fine thin film of aluminum metal.
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