SODIUM HYDRIDE

PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION
CAS NO. 7646-69-7

SODIUM HYDRIDE 

EINECS NO.

231-587-3

FORMULA

NaH

MOL WT. 23.99

H.S. CODE

 2850.00
TOXICITY  
SYNONYMS NaH; Sodium Monohydride
DESCRIPTION  

CLASSIFICATION

 

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL STATE silver gray particle
MELTING POINT

300 C (slowly decomposes at 300 C, completely decompose at 800 C)

BOILING POINT  
SPECIFIC GRAVITY 1.2
SOLUBILITY IN WATER Reacts violently
pH  
VAPOR DENSITY 8.2

AUTOIGNITION

  

NFPA RATINGS

 Health: 1; Flammability: 1; Reactivity: 2

REFRACTIVE INDEX

 

FLASH POINT  
STABILITY Not available. Avoid exposure to air & water (Dangerous when wet)

GENERAL DESCRIPTION & APPLICATIONS
Sodium Hydride is a silver gray highly flammable and corrosive particle. It is a strong base; dangerous when wet. It reacts violently with water forming flammable/explosive gas (hydrogen). Sodium hydride is sold in commerce as a 60% w/w dispersion form in mineral oil for safe handling. The solubility in organic solvents is very poor. It is dispersed in an inert solvents. It is not toxic, but it can cause severe eye and skin irritation with possible burns. Sodium Hydride is used in organic and inorganic fine chemical synthesis as a powerful base. it can deprotonate weak Bronsted acids. It is used as a deprotonating agent for C-C and C-N condensations. It is used as an alkylation agent and a polymerization agent in making other chemical compounds. It is used as a drying agent.

Some examples of reducing agents are:

  • Diisobutylaluminum Hydride (DIBAL-H)
  • Dimethylsulfide Borane
  • Ferrous Ion
  • Formaldehyde
  • Formic Acid
  • Hydrazines
  • Hydrogen
  • Isopropanol
  • Lithium Aluminum Hydride
  • Low-valent Metal Compounds
  • Phenylsilane
  • Polymethylhydrosiloxane
  • Potassium Ferricyanide
  • Silanes
  • Sodium Bis(2-methoxyethoxy)Aluminumhydride
  • Sodium Hydrosulfite
  • Sodium Amalgam
  • Sodium And Potassium
  • Sodium Borohydride
  • Sodium Cyanoborohydride
  • Sodium Dithionite
  • Sodium Triacetoxyborohydride
  • Stannous Ion
  • Sulfite Compounds
  • Tin Hydrides
  • Triphenylphosphine
  • Zinc-mercury Amalgam
SALES SPECIFICATION (DISPERSION IN OIL)

APPEARANCE

solid/liquid mixture
CONTENT

55 - 65%

WHITE MINERAL OIL

Balance

TRANSPORTATION
PACKING 200kgs in drum
HAZARD CLASS 4.3 (Packing Group: I)
UN NO. 1427
OTHER INFORMATION
Hazard Symbols: F, Risk Phrases: 15, Safety Phrases: 7/8/24/25/43A
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF HYDRIDE
Hydride is the isolated atomic hydrogen anion, H- or any compound containing hydrogen and another element, more electropositive element or group. Hydride consists of a singly charged positive nucleus and two electrons of which one electron is weakly held and readily donative ˇ°extraˇ±. There are some types of hydrides according to their bonding.
  • Ionic hydrides (saline hydrides): the hydrogen obtains an electron from a more electropositive metal, usually one of the alkali metals, to be an anion, H- , and behaves like a halogen. Ionic hydrides  react vigorously with water with removing hydrogen gas (H2). Compounds that have hydrogen and one other element only is called binary hydrides with general form of MH or MH2 such as sodium hydride (NaH), lithium hydride (LiH), calcium hydride (CaH2), magnesium hydride (MgH2).
  • Covalent hydrides: The hydrogen shares one or more pairs of electrons with more electronegative elements (such as boron and aluminium) or nonmetallic elements. Water, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), hydrocarbons (alkane, alkene and alkyne), and hydrazine belong to nonmetallic covalent hydrides which behave as molecules and are normally gas or volatile liquids. Hydrogen halides, boranes, silane, phosphines belong to covalent hydrides.
  • Metallic hydrides: They are alloy-like materials which have individual properties of metals. Their bondings are vary from element to element.
  • Polymeric hydrides: the hydrogen has bridges forming three center bond with other atoms such as boron, aluminum, and beryllium.

Hydrides which carry hydrogen can provide large amounts of heat when burned. They can be used as a component in jet fuels. They are less flammable and less volatile than hydrocarbon fuels. They are relatively environmentally friendly because they degrade quickly in the environment.  Hydrides and hydrido complexes containing this easily polarized ion are highly reactive, strongly basic and powerfully reducing in synthetic reactions. They are important reducing agents in industrial reactions though they are easily destroyed in the relatively acidic compound water (H2O) and in air containing dioxygen (O2). Examples of commercially useful hydride complexes are:

  • Sodium or Potassium Hydride: strong base used in organic and inorganic fine chemical synthesis. It is used as a condensation, alkylation and polymerization agent in making other chemical compounds. It is used as a drying agent.
  • Sodium or Potassium Borohydride: Used as a selective reductant which can be used in aqueous solution. It converts aldehydes and ketones to the corresponding alcohols in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals. It is used as a hydrogen source and a foaming agent for rubbers.
  • Sodium Cyanoborohydride: Used as a selective amination reductant. It converts aldehydes (chemoselective), ketones (stereoselective) to the corresponding alcohols in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals. It is used in the reductive alkylation of amines, novel metals and oximes.
  • Sodium Triacetoxyborohydride
  • Lithium Aluminum Hydride: powerful reducing agent used in organic synthesis (for specific linkages in complex molecules).
  • Sodium diethyldihydridoaluminate
  • Sodium tri- or tert-butoxohydridoaluminate
  • Sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxo) dihydridoaluminate
  • Lithium Hydride: flammable, white, translucent solids; decomposes at 850 C; reacts violently with water to yield hydrogen and lithium hydroxide; used as a hydrogen source or reducing agent to prepare other hydrides amides and 2H isotopic compound, as a shielding material for thermal neutrons.
  • Calcium Hydride: white crystals; insoluble in water; used in the production of chromium, titanium, and zirconium through the Hydromet process.
  • Titanium Hydride: black metallic powder whose dust is an explosion hazard and which dissociates above 288 C; used in powder metallurgy, hydrogen production, foamed metals, glass solder, and refractories, and as an electronic gas getter.
  • Zirconium Hydride: flammable, gray-black powder; used in powder metallurgy and nuclear moderators, and as a reducing agent, vacuum-tube getter, and metal-foaming agent.