Magnesium Hydridomethylzincate:
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, have developed a chemical compound named magnesium hydridomethylzincate.
- Magnesium Hydridomethylzincate is a crystalline, hydride-rich organometallic compound that does not rely on bulky supporting ligands.
- It is a compound of magnesium, zinc, hydrogen, and carbon.
- Under solvent-free, anaerobic conditions, it releases hydrogen and methane at temperatures as low as 80°C via reductive elimination, leaving behind elemental magnesium and zinc.
- When the compound was heated in solution to 100° C, it releases hydrogen.
- It is a solid at room temperature.
- It is revealed that each unit of the compound’s paired molecular structure could produce two molecules each of hydrogen and methane.
- It is established that methane emerged before hydrogen, indicating the compound was releasing the gases through successive chemical reactions.
- This organometallic compound could potentially provide molecular platforms for the storage and controlled release of fuel gases.
- It could offer an alternative to transporting methane and hydrogen as compressed gases.
