silane

or silicon hydride

Any of a series of inorganic compounds of silicon and hydrogen with covalent bonds and the general chemical formula Si_math.nH_{(2math.n + 2)}. Silanes are structural analogs of saturated hydrocarbons (see saturation; alkane) but are much less stable. All burn or explode when exposed to air and react readily with halogens or hydrogen halides to form halogenated silanes and with olefins to form alkylsilanes, products used as water repellents and as starting materials for silicones.

Learn more about silane with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Any of a class of compounds in which hydrogen is combined with another element. There are three basic types of hydrides: saline, metallic, and covalent. Saline hydrides, such as sodium hydride (NaH) and calcium hydride (CaH₂), are often used as portable sources of hydrogen gas (H₂). Metallic hydrides, such as titanium hydride (TiH₂), are alloylike materials (see alloy) with some properties of metals, such as lustre and electrical conductivity. Covalent hydrides (see covalent bond) are mostly compounds of hydrogen and nonmetallic elements; they include water, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and methane. A fourth group of hydrides, dimeric (polymeric) hydrides, is sometimes recognized (see borane). Dimeric hydrides give off large amounts of energy when burned and may be useful as rocket fuels.

Learn more about hydride with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Any of a homologous series of inorganic compounds of boron and hydrogen or their derivatives. The ability of boranes to form three-centre bonds (one pair of electrons is shared between three atoms) and covalent bonds allows them to form complex structures called polyhedrons, which can be considered as deltahedrons (polyhedrons with triangular faces) or deltahedral fragments. Low-molecular-weight boranes are spontaneously flammable in air, although reactivity generally decreases with increasing molecular weight. Boranes are sources of high-energy fuels for rockets and jet aircraft.

Learn more about borane with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Hydride is the name given to the negative ion of hydrogen, H⁻. Although this ion does not exist except in extraordinary conditions, the term hydride is widely applied to describe compounds of hydrogen with other elements, particularly those of groups 1–16. The variety of compounds formed by hydrogen is vast, arguably greater than that of any other element.

Various metal hydrides are currently being studied for use as a means of hydrogen storage in fuel cell-powered electric cars and in batteries. The group 14 hydrides are already of vast importance in storage battery technologies. They also have important uses in organic chemistry as powerful reducing agents, and many promising uses in hydrogen economy.

Every element of the periodic table (except some noble gases) forms one or more hydrides. These compounds may be classified into three main types by the predominant nature of their bonding:

• Saline hydrides, which have significant ionic character,
• Covalent hydrides, which include the hydrocarbons and many other compounds, and
• Interstitial hydrides, which may be described as having metallic bonding.

Hydride ion

See also: hydrogen anion.

Aside from electride, the hydride ion is the simplest possible anion, consisting of two electrons and a proton. Hydrogen has a relatively low electron affinity, 72.77 kJ/mol, thus hydride is so basic that it is unknown in solution. This however is deceptive since the proton is so acidic it is also unknown in solution. The reactivity of the hypothetic hydride ion is dominated by its exothermic protonation to give dihydrogen:

H⁻ + H⁺ → H₂; ΔH = −1676 kJ/mol

As a result, the hydride ion is one of the strongest bases known. It would extract protons from almost any hydrogen-containing species. The low electron affinity of hydrogen and the strength of the H–H bond (∆H_BE = 436 kJ/mol) means that the hydride ion would also be a strong reducing agent:

H₂ + 2e⁻ ⇌ 2H⁻; E^o = −2.25 V

Ionic hydrides

In ionic, or saline, hydrides, the hydrogen is viewed as a pseudohalide. The saline hydrides are insoluble in conventional solvents, reflecting their nonmolecular structures. H⁻ has stable electron configuration of helium with a filled 1s-orbital. Ionic hydrides also feature an electropositive metal, usually one of the alkali metals or alkaline earth metals. These hydrides are called binary if they only involve two elements including hydrogen. Chemical formulae for binary ionic hydrides typically MH (as in LiH). As the charge on the metal increases, the M-H bonding becomes more covalent as in MgH₂ and AlH₃. Ionic hydrides are commonly encountered as basic reagents in organic synthesis:

C₆H₅C(O)CH₃ + KH → C₆H₅C(O)CH₂K + H₂

Such reactions are heterogeneous because the KH does not dissolve. Typical solvents for such reactions are ethers. Water cannot serve as a medium for pure ionic hydrides or LAH because the hydride ion is a stronger base than hydroxide. Hydrogen gas is liberated in a typical acid-base reaction.

NaH + H₂O → H₂ (gas) + NaOH ΔH = −83.6 kJ/mol, ΔG = −109.0 kJ/mol

Alkali metal hydrides react with metal halides. Lithium aluminium hydride (often abbreviated as LAH) arises from reactions with aluminium chloride.

4 LiH + AlCl₃ → LiAlH₄ + 3 LiCl

Covalent hydrides

In covalent hydrides, hydrogen is covalently bonded to more electropositive element such as p-block (boron, aluminium, and Group 4-7) elements as well as beryllium. Common compounds include the hydrocarbons and ammonia could be considered as hydrides of carbon and nitrogen, respectively. Charge neutral covalent hydrides that are molecular are often volatile at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Some covalent hydrides are not volatile because they are polymeric—i.e. nonmolecular—such as the binary hydrides of aluminium and beryllium. Replacing some hydrogen atoms in such compounds with larger ligands, one obtains molecular derivatives. For example, diisobutylaluminium hydride (DIBAL) consists of two aluminium centers bridged by hydride ligands. Hydrides that are soluble in common solvents are widely used in organic synthesis. Particularly common are sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) and lithium aluminum hydride and hindered reagents such as DIBAL.

Transition metal hydrido complexes

Most transition metal complexes form molecular compounds that contain one or more hydride ligands. Usually such compounds are discussed in the context of organometallic chemistry. They are intermediates in many industrial processes that rely on metal catalysts, such as hydroformylation, hydrogenation, and hydrodesulfurization.

Deprotonation of dihydrogen complexes gives metal hydrides.

Two famous examples of transition metal hydrides are HCo(CO)₄ and H₂Fe(CO)₄, are acidic thus demonstrating that the term hydride is used very broadly. The anion [[Potassium nonahydridorhenate|[ReH₉]²⁻]] is a rare example of a molecular [Homoleptic] metal hydride.

Interstitial hydrides of the transitional metals

Structurally related to the saline hydrides, the transition metals form binary hydrides which are often non-stoichiometric, with variable amounts of hydrogen atoms in the lattice, where they can migrate through it. In materials engineering, the phenomenon of hydrogen embrittlement is a consequence of interstitial hydrides. Palladium absorbs up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen at room temperatures, forming palladium hydride, and was therefore once thought as a means to carry hydrogen for vehicular fuel cells. Hydrogen gas is liberated proportional to the applied temperature and pressure but not to the chemical composition.

Interstitial hydrides show certain promise as a way for safe hydrogen storage. During last 25 years many interstitial hydrides were developed that readily absorb and discharge hydrogen at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. They are usually based on intermetallic compounds and solid-solution alloys. However, their application is still limited, as they are capable of storing only about 2 weight percent of hydrogen, which is not enough for automotive applications.

Nomenclature

The following is a list of the nomenclature for the hydride derivatives of main group compounds:

• alkali and alkaline earth metals: metal hydride
• boron: borane, BH₃
• aluminium:alumane, AlH₃
• gallium: gallane, GaH₃
• indium: indigane, InH₃
• thallium: thallane, TlH₃
• carbon: alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and all hydrocarbons
• silicon: silane
• germanium: germane
• tin: stannane
• lead: plumbane
• nitrogen: ammonia ('azane' when substituted), hydrazine
• phosphorus: phosphine (note 'phosphane' is the IUPAC recommended name)
• arsenic: arsine (note 'arsane' is the IUPAC recommended name)
• antimony: stibine (note 'stibane'is the IUPAC recommended name)
• bismuth: bismuthine (note 'bismuthane' is the IUPAC recommended name)

According to the convention above, the following are "hydrogen compounds" and not "hydrides":

• oxygen: water ('oxidane' when substituted), hydrogen peroxide
• sulfur: hydrogen sulfide ('sulfane' when substituted)
• selenium: hydrogen selenide ('selane' when substituted)
• tellurium: hydrogen telluride ('tellane' when substituted)
• halogens: hydrogen halides

Examples:

• nickel hydride: used in NiMH batteries
• palladium hydride: electrodes in cold fusion experiments
• lithium aluminium hydride: a powerful reducing agent used in organic chemistry
• sodium borohydride: selective specialty reducing agent, hydrogen storage in fuel cells
• sodium hydride: a powerful base used in organic chemistry
• diborane: reducing agent, rocket fuel, semiconductor dopant, catalyst, used in organic synthesis; also borane, pentaborane and decaborane
• arsine: used for doping semiconductors
• stibine: used in semiconductor industry
• phosphine: used for fumigation
• silane: many industrial uses, e.g. manufacture of composite materials and water repellents
• ammonia: coolant, fertilizer, many other industrial uses
• hydrogen sulfide: component of natural gas, important source of sulfur
• Chemically, even water and hydrocarbons could be considered hydrides.

Isotopes of hydride

Protide, deuteride, and tritide are used to describe ions or compounds, which contain enriched hydrogen-1, deuterium or tritium, respectively.

Precedence convention

According to IUPAC convention, by precedence (stylized electronegativity), hydrogen falls between group 15 and group 16 elements. Therefore we have NH₃, 'nitrogen hydride' (ammonia), versus H₂O, 'hydrogen oxide' (water).

See also

• Hydron (chemistry)
• Hydronium

External links

• IUPAC hydride nomenclature