Substance profile
Lithium aluminum hydride
Lithium aluminum hydride is a microcrystalline powder when pure; gray when aluminum impurity present with a none odor.
01 · Identification
What Lithium aluminum hydride is
Lithium aluminum hydride is a microcrystalline powder when pure; gray when aluminum impurity present with a none odor. Its molecular formula is AlH4Li and its molecular weight is 38 g/mol. It melts at 125 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as flammable agents - 2nd degree.
02 · Identifiers
Lithium aluminum hydride identifiers and molecular data
Lithium aluminum hydride CAS number and EC number
Lithium aluminum hydride molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Lithium aluminum hydride
- aluminium lithium hydride
03 · GHS classification
Lithium aluminum hydride hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Lithium aluminum hydride pictograms and signal word
Lithium aluminum hydride hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| In contact with water emits flammable gases GHS chapter 2.12 | Category 1 | H260 | GHS02 |
| Skin corrosion/irritation GHS chapter 3.2 | Category 1A or 1B or 1C | H314 | GHS05 |
Where two values are shown with “or”, the hazard statement is shared by more than one category or by more than one class, and the code alone does not say which. H272, for example, belongs to oxidising liquids and to oxidising solids — the physical state decides. The binding answer for a specific entry is in the CLP Annex VI table itself.
Lithium aluminum hydride hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H260 | In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously. |
| H314 | Causes severe skin burns and eye damage. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Lithium aluminum hydride. The full reference lives on the hazard statements hub, the precautionary statements hub and the GHS pictograms hub.
Safety Data Sheet
Getting an SDS for Lithium aluminum hydride
A Safety Data Sheet is written for a product, not for a substance: the supplier of the grade you actually buy issues it, so two suppliers of Lithium aluminum… issue two different sheets. That is why there is no single authoritative SDS for a substance to download — what there is, is the job of collecting the sheets for the products you hold and keeping them current as suppliers revise them.
04 · Precautionary statements
Lithium aluminum hydride precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 5 precautionary statements to Lithium aluminum hydride. They are grouped the way a label groups them: what to do before handling, what to do when something has already happened, how to store it and how to dispose of it.
Prevention
What to do before and during handling so the hazard never happens.
Response
What to do once exposure, spillage or fire has already happened.
Reading the notation. … is a blank the supplier fills in — not a truncated sentence.· [square brackets] mark a part printed only when it applies.
05 · Names in the regulation
Lithium aluminum hydride name in 23 EU languages
CLP Annex VI Part 3 is published in every language edition of the regulation, and the identification column is written out in each of them. Nothing below is translated by us: each line is the name as that edition prints it. Under Art. 18(2) the substance name from Annex VI is a lawful product identifier, so this is the wording to put on a label going to that market — and where the cell lists several designations, any one of them qualifies.
| Language | Name in CLP Annex VI Part 3 |
|---|---|
| Bulgarian български | алуминиев литиев хидрид |
| Spanish español | Hidruro de litio y aluminio |
| Czech čeština | tetrahydridohlinitan lithný hydrid lithno-hlinitýlithiumaluminiumhydrid |
| Danish dansk | aluminiumlithiumhydrid |
| German Deutsch | Lithiumaluminiumhydrid |
| Estonian eesti | liitiumalumiiniumhüdriid |
| Greek ελληνικά | υδρίδιο του λιθιοαργιλίου |
| English English | aluminium lithium hydride |
| French français | hydrure d'aluminium et de lithium |
| Croatian hrvatski | aluminijev litijev hidrid |
| Italian italiano | idruro di litio-alluminio |
| Latvian latviešu | litija alumīnija hidrīds |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | aliuminio ličio hidridas |
| Hungarian magyar | lítium-alumínium-hidrid |
| Maltese Malti | idrur tal-litju tal-aluminju |
| Dutch Nederlands | lithiumaluminiumhydride |
| Polish polski | wodorek litowo-glinowy tetrahydroglinian lituglinowodorek litowy |
| Portuguese português | hidreto de alumínio e de lítio |
| Romanian română | hidrură de aluminiu și litiu |
| Slovak slovenčina | tetrahydridohlinitan lítny |
| Slovenian slovenščina | aluminijev litijev hidrid |
| Finnish suomi | alumiinilitiumhydridi |
| Swedish svenska | litiumaluminiumhydrid |
All 23 language editions of Annex VI carry this entry. Irish is the twenty-fourth official EU language and has no line here for a different reason: no consolidated CLP text has ever been published in Irish, so there is no Irish edition of Annex VI to quote a name from. Source: consolidated CLP, CELEX 02008R1272, language editions. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic.
06 · Label elements
Lithium aluminum hydride GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Lithium aluminum hydride, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Lithium aluminum hydride
- In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously.
- Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
- Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Do NOT induce vomiting.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Lithium aluminum hydride in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Lithium aluminum hydride health hazards and exposure limits
Lithium aluminum hydride hazard summary
Contact with solid causes caustic burns to eyes and skin. [CHRIS] Inhalation of high concentrations can cause pulmonary edema; [HSDB] Reacts with moisture on the skin or in the eyes and respiratory tract to form a corrosive alkali solution (lithium hydroxide); [CHEMINFO]
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Lithium aluminum hydride properties
Every value is shown with the conditions it was measured under and the source it came from. Where sources disagree, all values are listed rather than one being picked — the difference is usually a different form of the substance, not an error.
Lithium aluminum hydride melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 125 °C (257 °F) | above this value | HSDB |
Lithium aluminum hydride density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 0.92 g/cm³ | HSDB | |
| 0.92 g/cm³ | at 25 °C | DOE PAC | |
| 0.917 g/cm³ | at 15 °C | CAMEO |
Lithium aluminum hydride solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Solubility (parts/100 parts solvent): 30 (ether); 13 (tetrahydrofuran); 10 (dimethylcellosolve); 2 (dibutyl ether); 0.1 (dioxane). | HSDB |
Lithium aluminum hydride lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | Lithium aluminum hydride can react explosively with carbon dioxide in sodium bicarbonate at high temp. | HSDB | |
| ... Hydrides can form dust clouds which can explode due to contact with flames, sparks, heat or oxidizers. | Hydrides | HSDB | |
| The explosive thermal decomposition of the aluminate at 150-170 °C is due to partially hydrolyzed decomposition products. | decomposes | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Lithium aluminum hydride fire and explosion behaviour
These are descriptions rather than measured values, so they are kept out of the table above and quoted here with the source that reported them.
Lithium aluminum hydride fire potential
Evolves hydrogen & ignites on contact with water.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Lithium aluminum hydride storage and handling
Lithium aluminum hydride storage conditions
Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location. Separate from ketones, aldehydes, nitrogenous organic compounds.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Lithium aluminum hydride incompatible materials
Reacts violently with air, acids, alcohols, benzoyl peroxide, boron trifluoride etherate, (2-chloromethyl furan + ethyl acetate), diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethyl ether, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, dimethyl ether, methyl ethyl ether, (nitriles + water), perfluorosuccinamide, perfluorosuccinamide plus water, tetrahydrofuran, water.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Lithium aluminum hydride in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Questions
Lithium aluminum hydride — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Lithium aluminum hydride?
The CAS number of Lithium aluminum hydride is 16853-85-3. Its EC number is 240-877-9.
What is the chemical formula of Lithium aluminum hydride?
The molecular formula of Lithium aluminum hydride is AlH4Li and its molecular weight is 38 g/mol.
What does a Lithium aluminum hydride label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Lithium aluminum hydride carries the pictograms Flame and Corrosion and the signal word is Danger.
Is Lithium aluminum hydride flammable?
Yes. CLP Annex VI assigns Lithium aluminum hydride H260 — in contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously.
Is Lithium aluminum hydride a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Lithium aluminum hydride. Annex VI is a list of agreed classifications, not a list of substances found safe, so this is an absence of a classification rather than a clean bill of health.
What is the melting point of Lithium aluminum hydride?
The melting point reported for Lithium aluminum hydride is 125 °C (257 °F), above this value (HSDB).
How should Lithium aluminum hydride be stored?
Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location. Separate from ketones, aldehydes, nitrogenous organic compounds. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Lithium aluminum hydride
Keep going: substances starting with L, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.