Triethylaluminium

Triethylaluminium (generally abbreviated as TEA) is one of the simplest examples of an organoaluminium compound. Despite its name, the compound has the formula Al2(C2H5)6, which equates to the dimer of the expected species. This kind of oligomerization is common in sterically unhindered organometallics. It is an exceedingly pyrophoric material that exists as a colourless liquid over a wide range of temperatures. It is an industrially important compound, closely related to trimethylaluminium. The structure and bonding in Al2R6 and diborane are analogous (R = alkyl). Referring to Al2Me6, the Al-C(terminal) and Al-C(bridging) distances are 1.97 and 2.14 Å, respectively. The Al center is tetrahedral. The carbon atoms of the bridging ethyl groups are each surrounded by five neighbors: carbon, two hydrogen atoms and two aluminium atoms. The ethyl groups interchange readily intramolecularly.