Metal Hydrides - (Extra)Ordinary Solids

Metal hydrides are often thought of as somewhat exotic compounds. In this lecture, we will explore the provocative claim that they are instead the most common compounds imaginable. You will be taken on a journey through the periodic table of the elements, focusing on lesser-known metal hydride chemistry: hydrides of Zintl phases such as AeTt (Ae = Ca, Sr, Ba; Tt = Si, Ge, Sn) with the formation of Tt–Tt and Tt–H bonds in the solid, high-pressure phases with [SiH₆]^2– moieties, palladium- and nickel-rich hydrides such as Pd₃BiH_0.2 and Ni₃SnH_0.9 with a strong structure-directing effect of hydrogen for catalysis, photochromic heteroanionic hydrides such as HoHO and Y₂H_0.5O_2.75 and air-stable ionic hydrides like LiSr₂SiO₄H, which are versatile hosts for Eu(II) based luminescence. Whether metal hydrides are ordinary or extraordinary compounds – you will have to decide for yourself.