C-H activation by AlCl monomers:: Characterization of HAl(Cl)CH3 as the product of the photoactivated reaction between AlCl and CH4 in a solid Ar matrix at 12 K

In a solid Ar matrix at 12 K and upon photoactivation AlCl inserts into the C-H bond of CH4 to give the new monomeric aluminium hydride HAl(Cl)CH3, which was identified and characterized with the aid of the IR spectra recorded for several isotopomers [Cl(H)(AlCH3)-C-12, Cl(D)(AlCD3)-C-12, and Cl(H)(AlCH3)-C-13] comparison with the known IR properties of related molecules and detailed quantum chemical calculations. Calculations yield a C, symmetric global energy minimum structure for this compound, and that the reaction is slightly exothermic (reaction energy of -43.2 kJ.mol(-1)). This work demonstrates impressively how reactive photoactivated AlCl molecules are.