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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>'''Silane''' is a chemical compound with chemical formula SiH<sub>4</sub>. It is the [[silicon]] analogue of [[methane]]. At room temperature, silane is presumed to be a pyrophoric gas &mdash; it spontaneously undergoes [[combustion]] in [[air]] without the need for external ignition. However, there is a school of thought which says that silane is stable and that it is the natural formation of larger silanes during production which causes its pyrophoricity. Above 420&deg;C, silane decomposes into silicon and [[hydrogen]]; it can therefore be used in the [[chemical vapor deposition]] of silicon.<br />
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== Production ==<br />
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Industrially, silane is produced from metallurgical grade silicon in a two-step process. In the first step, powdered silicon is reacted with [[hydrochloric acid]] at about 300 &deg;C to produce trichlorosilane, HSiCl<sub>3</sub>, along with [[hydrogen]] gas, according to the [[chemical equation]]:<br />
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:Si + 3 HCl &rarr; HSiCl<sub>3</sub> + H<sub>2</sub><br />
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The trichlorosilane is then boiled on a [[resin]]ous bed containing a [[catalyst]] which promotes its disproportionation to silane and silicon tetrachloride according to the chemical equation:<br />
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:4 HSiCl<sub>3</sub> &rarr; SiH<sub>4</sub> + 3 SiCl<sub>4</sub><br />
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The most commonly used catalysts for this process are [[metal]] [[halogen|halides]], particularly [[aluminium chloride]].<br />
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== Applications ==<br />
Several industrial and medical applications exist for silanes. For instance, silanes are used as coupling agents to adhere [[fiberglass|glass fiber]]s to a [[polymer]] matrix, stabilizing the [[composite material]]. They can also be used to couple a bio-inert layer on a [[titanium]] [[prosthesis|implant]]. Other applications include water repellants, [[masonry]] protection, applying [[polycrystalline silicon]] layers on silicon wafers when manufacturing semiconductors, sealants and silane is considered a potential propellant for engines on Mars<br />
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==External links==<br />
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* [http://box27.bluehost.com/~edsanvil/wiki/index.php?title=Silane Computational Chemistry Wiki]</div>Maxie