Brief summary of our former work on high hydrogen pressure syntheses of novel hydrides and studies of their properties is supplemented with new results. Syntheses and properties of a number of hydrides (unstable, metastable or stable in ambient conditions) derived under high hydrogen pressure from inter metallic compounds, like MeT2, MeNi5, Me7T3, Y6Mn23 and YMn12 (where Me = zirconium, yttrium or rare earth; T = transition metal) are presented. Stabilization of ZrFe2H4 due to surface phenomena was revealed. Unusual role of manganese in hydride forming processes is pointed out. Hydrogen induced phase transitions, suppression of magnetism, antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic and metal-insulator or semimetal-metal transitions are described. Equations of state (EOS) of hydrides submitted to hydrostatic pressures up to 30 GPa are presented and discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.