Silane

Silane (or monosilane) is a toxic, extremely flammable chemical compound with chemical formula SiH₄. In 1857, the German chemists Heinrich Buff and Friedrich Woehler discovered silane among the products formed by the action of hydrochloric acid on aluminum silicide, which they had previously prepared. They called the compound siliciuretted hydrogen. A silane may also refer to a compound containing silicon-carbon bonds such as tetramethyl silane which lacks any hydrogen-silicon bonds. Silane is a reducing agent.