Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic evidence for the interaction of HAlOH with water molecules.

The complex HAlOH:(H(2)O) has been detected by matrix-isolation IR spectroscopy. This complex was speculated to be the species responsible for the chemiluminescent glow associated with the explosion of trimethyl aluminum or aluminum grenades in the upper atomosphere. Theoretical studies suggest that HAlOH:(H(2)O)(n) is a critical precursor in the formation of H(2) in the reaction of Al with liquid water.

Activation of C-O and C-C bonds and formation of novel HAlOH-ether complexes: an EPR study of the reaction of ground-state Al atoms with methylethyl ether and diethyl ether.

Reaction mixtures, containing Al atoms and methylethyl ether (MEE) or diethyl ether (DEE) in an adamantane matrix, were prepared with the aid of a metal-atom reactor known as a rotating cryostat. The EPR spectra of the resulting products were recorded from 77-260 K, at 10 K intervals. Al atoms were found to insert into methyl-O, ethyl-O, and C-C bonds to form CH(3)AlOCH(2)CH(3), CH(3)OAlCH(2)CH(3), and CH(3)OCH(2)AlCH(3), respectively, in the case of MEE while DEE produced CH(3)CH(2)AlOCH(2)CH(3) and CH(3)AlCH(2)OCH(2)CH(3), respectively.