Topic summary
Triethylaluminium
Triethylaluminium (generally abbreviated as TEA) is one of the simplest examples of an organoaluminium compound. Despite its name, the compound has the formulaAl2(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.