Organoaluminums safety

Taking into consideration a) the specific properties of organoaluminum compounds, especially lower aluminumtrialkyls, and their hydride-, halo-gene- and alkoxy derivatives, which are highly flammable in air and explode at contact with water b) the use of hydrogen, ethylene, isobutene, ethylene, isobutene, ethylchloride, sodium and aluminum (finely dispersed and active, which can self-inflame in air), the production of organoaluminum compounds can be considered one of the most dangerous chemical productions. Therefore, safety measures and fire prevention are especially important. 

Small quantities of organoaluminum distillation residues and waste solutions may be destroyed by slow addition of a 25% isopropanol solution in a hydrocarbon solvent. Safety procedures for handhug large volumes of organoaluminum reagents can be obtained from commercial vendors. 

In general all A1—H and A1—C bonds in organoaluminum compounds react quantitatively at or below room temperature with water and alcohols to form compounds with A1—O bonds. Thus trialkyl alanes with alcohols produce aluminum alcoholates and alkanes. Reaction between water or most of the lower alcohols (methanol, ethanol) and trialkyl alanes with small alkyl groups is usually explosive if the undiluted components are mixed at room temperature. If certain safety precautions are observed, however, it is possible to carry out the hydrolysis (or deuterolysis for analytical purposes) so as to obtain the corresponding hydrocarbons. Ether solutions are particularly advantageous as the etherates of trialkyl alanes react less vigorously than the free compounds. 

LABORATORY CHEMICAL SAFETY SUMMARY TRIMETHYLALUMINUM (AND RELATED ORGANOALUMINUM COMPOUNDS) ... 

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