Al(I)-chemy

An image showing an aluminium compound

Subvalent aluminium compounds are making new reactions possible

Aluminium compounds don’t feature on the pages of Chemistry World very often. Being the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust and the third most abundant element, its chemistry is well established. That means it doesn’t tend to tick our boxes for being topical or unusual, and therefore newsworthy. However, we’re noticing a new strand of aluminium chemistry is beginning to flourish.