Lithium aluminium hydride facts for kids

Lithium aluminium hydride is a special chemical compound. Its scientific name is LiAlH₄. People often call it LAH for short. It looks like a gray solid material. Scientists named Finholt, Bond, and Schlesinger first found it in 1947.

What is LAH Like?

Pure Lithium aluminium hydride is actually a clear, colorless solid. But most of the time, when you see it, it looks gray. This is because it often has tiny bits of other things mixed in.

You can make it pure again by a process called recrystallization. This involves dissolving it and letting it form crystals again.

LAH reacts very strongly and quickly with water. Because of this, some LAH that you can buy has mineral oil added to it. This oil helps protect it from the moisture (water vapor) in the air. This stops it from reacting before it's used.

How is LAH Used?

Lithium aluminium hydride is very important in a field called organic chemistry. It is used as a powerful tool called a reducing agent.

Think of a reducing agent as something that helps change one type of chemical into another. LAH is especially good at changing certain compounds. For example, it can turn esters and carboxylic acids into primary alcohols. This is like changing one kind of building block into a different, useful building block for other chemicals.

Images for kids

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  Lithium aluminium hydride in a bottle

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  SEM image of LAH powder, showing tiny particles

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  A model showing the crystal structure of LAH. The purple parts are lithium atoms, and the tan shapes are AlH4 groups.

See also

In Spanish: Hidruro de litio y aluminio para niños