| Chemical Properties | clear colorless solution |
| Chemical Properties | The aluminum alkyl halides are flammable, reactive, and may be spontaneously combustible in air. They are colorless to yellow liquids. Ethylaluminum dichloride:(563-43-9): |
| Uses | Catalyst for olefin polymerization, aromatic
hydrogenation; intermediate. |
| General Description | A clear yellow liquid. Slightly denser than water. Used to make other chemicals. |
| Air & Water Reactions | Spontaneously flammable in air (Douda 1966). Reacts violently with water forming hydrogen chloride and flammable ethane gas (Rose 1961). |
| Reactivity Profile | Organometallics, such as ETHYLALUMINUM SESQUICHLORIDE, are reactive with many other groups. Incompatible with acids and bases. Organometallics are good reducing agents and therefore incompatible with oxidizing agents. Often reactive with water to generate toxic or flammable gases. Organometallics containing halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine) bonded to the metal typically with generate gaseous hydrohalic acids (HF, HCl, HBr, HI) with water. A mixture of ETHYLALUMINUM SESQUICHLORIDE with carbon tetrachloride exploded when warmed to room temperature [Bretherick, 5th Ed., 1995]. |
| Hazard | Ignites on contact with air, dangerous fire
risk, reacts violently with water. |
| Health Hazard | Inhalation of smoke from fire causes metal-fume fever (flu-like symptoms); acid fumes irritate nose and throat. Contact with liquid, which is spontaneously flammable, causes severe burns of eyes and skin. |
| Safety Profile | Mixtures with carbon
tetrachloride explode at room temperature.
When heated to decomposition it emits
toxic fumes of Cl-. See also ALUMINUM
COMPOUNDS. |
| Potential Exposure | These materials are used as components of olefin polymerization catalysts. The reader is referred to the entry on “Aluminum alkyls” for additional information on this entry. The aluminum alkyl halides parallel very closely the aluminum alkyls |
| Shipping | UN3052 Spontaneously combustible. Water reactive releasing large quantities of toxic and deadly hydrogen gas. (Note: this number does not appear in the 49/CFR HazMat tables) |
| Incompatibilities | The aluminum alkyl halides are strong reducing agents; they react—possibly violently—with oxidizers (chlorates, nitrates, peroxides, permanganates, perchlorates, chlorine, bromine, fluorine, etc.); contact may cause fires or explosions. Keep away from alkaline materials, strong bases, strong acids, oxoacids, epoxides. These chemicals react violently with nitromethaneEthylaluminum sesquichloride reacts explosively with carbon tetrachloride at room temperature. This chemical reacts violently with water, forming corrosive hydrogen chloride and flammable ethane gas. Diethylaluminum chloride may form an explosive product with chlorine azide. |
