Aluminum can activate dihydrogen! Al=Al doubly bonded species, generated by retro Diels–Alder reaction of bicyclic organoaluminum compounds bearing bulky aryl substituents, react with dihydrogen to afford the dimers of aluminum dihydride. In their Communication on
page 12877 ff, N. Tokitoh and co-workers show that this hydrogen activation reaction proceeds under atmospheric pressure and at room temperature.