Counterion influence on the vibrational wavenumbers in ternary and quaternary metal hydride salts, A2MH6 (A = alkali metal, alkaline earth, and lanthanides; M = Ir, Fe, Ru, Os, Pt, Mn).

The wavenumbers of the ν(3) metal-hydrogen stretching mode (T(1u)) in the IR spectra of both ternary and quaternary hexahydrido salts of transition metals from groups 7 to 10 ([Mn(I)H(6)](5-), [Fe(II)H(6)](4-), [Ru(II)H(6)](4-), [Os(II)H(6)](4-), [Ir(III)H(6)](3-), and [Pt(IV)H(6)](2-)) depend linearly upon the ionization energies of the counterions (alkali metal, alkaline earth, and lanthanide) with a separate line for each metal. This relationship provides quantitative support for the charge-transfer mechanism for explaining the stabilities of these compounds.