Aluminium analogue

  No Al analogue of B₂H₆ exists, although monomeric AlH₃ has been isolated at low temperature in a matrix. In the solid state, X-ray and neutron diffraction data have shown that aluminium hydride consists of a three-dimensional network in which each Al centre is octahedrally sited, being involved in six Al^_H^_Al 3c-2e interactions. Digallane, Ga₂H₆, was fully characterized in the early 1990s, and electron diffraction data show it to be structurally similar to B₂H₆ (Ga^_Hterm  =  152 pm, Ga^_Hbridge  =  171 pm, Ga^_H^_Ga = 988). The existence of neutral binary hydrides of In and Tl has not been confirmed. The hydrides of the group 13 elements are extremely air- and moisture-sensitive, and handling themrequires the use of high vacuumtechniques with all-glass apparatus.