New alkaline earth aluminum hydride with one-dimensional zigzag chains of [AlH6]: synthesis and crystal structure of BaAlH5.

The title hydride and its deuteride were successfully synthesized. The crystal structure of the deuteride was determined by time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction. BaAlD(5) crystallizes with a new orthorhombic structure in space group Pna2(1) (No. 33), cell parameters a = 9.194(1) A, b = 7.0403(9) A, and c = 5.1061(6) A, Z = 4. BaAlH(5) is the first example that contains one-dimensional zigzag chains of [AlH(6)] along the crystallographic c axis.