Synthesis of a stable adduct of dialane(4) (Al2H4) via hydrogenation of a magnesium(I) dimer

Simon Bonyhady; David Collis; Gernot Frenking; Nicole Holzmann; Cameron Jones; Andreas Stasch

doi:10.1038/NCHEM.762

Synthesis of a stable adduct of dialane(4) (Al2H4) via hydrogenation of a magnesium(I) dimer

Simon Bonyhady, David Collis, Gernot Frenking, Nicole Holzmann, Cameron Jones, Andreas Stasch

School of Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review

216 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The desorption of dihydrogen from magnesium(H) hydride, MgH2 (containing 7.6 wt H), is reversible. MgH2 therefore holds promise as a hydrogen storage material in devices powered by fuel cells. We believed that dimeric magnesium(I) dimers (LMgMgL, L = beta-diketiminate) could find use as soluble models to aid the study of the mechanisms and/or kinetics of the hydrogenation of magnesium and its alloys. Here, we show that LMgMgL can be readily hydrogenated to yield LMg(mu-H)(2)MgL by treatment with aluminium(III) hydride complexes. In one case, hydrogenation was reversed by treating LMg(mu-H)(2)MgL with potassium metal. The hydrogenation by-products are the first thermally stable, neutral aluminium(II) hydride complexes to be produced, one of which, [ (IPr)(H)(2)Al (2)] (IPr = :C[ (C6H3-i-Pr-2-2,6)NCH (2)]), is an N-heterocyclic carbene adduct of the elusive parent dialane(4) (Al2H4). A computational analysis of this compound is presented.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	865 - 869
Number of pages	5
Journal	Nature Chemistry
Volume	2
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/NCHEM.762
Publication status	Published - 2010

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title = "Synthesis of a stable adduct of dialane(4) (Al2H4) via hydrogenation of a magnesium(I) dimer",

abstract = "The desorption of dihydrogen from magnesium(H) hydride, MgH2 (containing 7.6 wt H), is reversible. MgH2 therefore holds promise as a hydrogen storage material in devices powered by fuel cells. We believed that dimeric magnesium(I) dimers (LMgMgL, L = beta-diketiminate) could find use as soluble models to aid the study of the mechanisms and/or kinetics of the hydrogenation of magnesium and its alloys. Here, we show that LMgMgL can be readily hydrogenated to yield LMg(mu-H)(2)MgL by treatment with aluminium(III) hydride complexes. In one case, hydrogenation was reversed by treating LMg(mu-H)(2)MgL with potassium metal. The hydrogenation by-products are the first thermally stable, neutral aluminium(II) hydride complexes to be produced, one of which, [ (IPr)(H)(2)Al (2)] (IPr = :C[ (C6H3-i-Pr-2-2,6)NCH (2)]), is an N-heterocyclic carbene adduct of the elusive parent dialane(4) (Al2H4). A computational analysis of this compound is presented.",

author = "Simon Bonyhady and David Collis and Gernot Frenking and Nicole Holzmann and Cameron Jones and Andreas Stasch",

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T1 - Synthesis of a stable adduct of dialane(4) (Al2H4) via hydrogenation of a magnesium(I) dimer

AU - Bonyhady, Simon

AU - Collis, David

AU - Frenking, Gernot

AU - Holzmann, Nicole

AU - Jones, Cameron

AU - Stasch, Andreas

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - The desorption of dihydrogen from magnesium(H) hydride, MgH2 (containing 7.6 wt H), is reversible. MgH2 therefore holds promise as a hydrogen storage material in devices powered by fuel cells. We believed that dimeric magnesium(I) dimers (LMgMgL, L = beta-diketiminate) could find use as soluble models to aid the study of the mechanisms and/or kinetics of the hydrogenation of magnesium and its alloys. Here, we show that LMgMgL can be readily hydrogenated to yield LMg(mu-H)(2)MgL by treatment with aluminium(III) hydride complexes. In one case, hydrogenation was reversed by treating LMg(mu-H)(2)MgL with potassium metal. The hydrogenation by-products are the first thermally stable, neutral aluminium(II) hydride complexes to be produced, one of which, [ (IPr)(H)(2)Al (2)] (IPr = :C[ (C6H3-i-Pr-2-2,6)NCH (2)]), is an N-heterocyclic carbene adduct of the elusive parent dialane(4) (Al2H4). A computational analysis of this compound is presented.

AB - The desorption of dihydrogen from magnesium(H) hydride, MgH2 (containing 7.6 wt H), is reversible. MgH2 therefore holds promise as a hydrogen storage material in devices powered by fuel cells. We believed that dimeric magnesium(I) dimers (LMgMgL, L = beta-diketiminate) could find use as soluble models to aid the study of the mechanisms and/or kinetics of the hydrogenation of magnesium and its alloys. Here, we show that LMgMgL can be readily hydrogenated to yield LMg(mu-H)(2)MgL by treatment with aluminium(III) hydride complexes. In one case, hydrogenation was reversed by treating LMg(mu-H)(2)MgL with potassium metal. The hydrogenation by-products are the first thermally stable, neutral aluminium(II) hydride complexes to be produced, one of which, [ (IPr)(H)(2)Al (2)] (IPr = :C[ (C6H3-i-Pr-2-2,6)NCH (2)]), is an N-heterocyclic carbene adduct of the elusive parent dialane(4) (Al2H4). A computational analysis of this compound is presented.

UR - http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v2/n10/pdf/nchem.762.pdf

U2 - 10.1038/NCHEM.762

DO - 10.1038/NCHEM.762

M3 - Article

SN - 1755-4330

VL - 2

SP - 865

EP - 869

JO - Nature Chemistry

JF - Nature Chemistry

IS - 10

ER -

Synthesis of a stable adduct of dialane(4) (Al2H4) via hydrogenation of a magnesium(I) dimer

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