Aluminium sulfate
General
Systematic name	Aluminium sulfate hexadecahydrate
Other names	Cake alum Filter alum Papermaker's alum alumogenite Aluminum sulfate Aluminium sulphate
Molecular formula	Al2(SO4)3·18H2O
Molar mass	342.15 g/mol as anhydrous salt
Appearance	white crystalline solid
CAS number	[10043-01-3]
EINECS number	233-135-0
Properties
Density and phase	2.672 g/cm³, solid
Solubility in water	870 g/L
In ethanol	Slightly soluble (anh.) Insoluble (hydrate)
Melting point	770°C decomp.
Structure
Coordination geometry	?
Crystal structure	monoclinic (hydrate)
Safety data
PEL-TWA (OSHA)	—
RTECS number	BD1700000
Supplementary data page
Structure & properties	n, εr, etc.
Thermodynamic data	Phase behaviour Solid, liquid, gas
Spectral data	UV, IR, NMR, MS
Related compounds
Other cations	Gallium sulfate Magnesium sulfate
Related compounds	See Alum
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25°C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references

Aluminium sulfate is a widely used industrial chemical. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as alum, as it is closely related to this group of compounds. It occurs naturally as the mineral alunogenite. It is frequently used as a coagulant in the purification of drinking water and waste water treatment plants, and also in paper manufacturing.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Aluminium sulfate ... IUPAC nomenclature is a system of naming chemical compounds and of describing the science of chemistry in general. ... A chemical formula (also called molecular formula) is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. ... Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a chemical element or chemical compound. ... CAS registry numbers are unique numerical identifiers for chemical compounds, polymers, biological sequences, mixtures and alloys. ... The EINECS number (for European Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances) is a registry number given to each chemical substance commercially available in the European Union between 1 January 1971 and 18 September 1981. ... Density, or volumic mass (ISO 31), is a measure of mass per given unit volume. ... In the physical sciences, a phase is a set of states of a macroscopic physical system that have relatively uniform chemical composition and physical properties (i. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Solution. ... This article describes water from a scientific and technical perspective. ... Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless, mildly toxic chemical compound with a distinctive perfume-like odor, and is the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. ... As a general term, a substance is said to be anhydrous if it contains no water. ... The melting point of a crystalline solid is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. ... The coordination geometry of an atom is the geometrical pattern formed by its neighbors in a molecule or a crystal. ... Enargite crystals In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. ... In crystallography, the monoclinic crystal system is one of the 7 lattice point groups. ... The Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL or OSHA PEL) is a legal limit in the United States for personal exposure to a substance, usually expressed in parts per million (ppm). ... If you are searching for the organization, click OSHA. Osha (Ligusticum porteri) is a perennial herb used for its medicinal properties. ... RTECS, also known as Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances, is a database of toxicity information compiled from the open scientific literature that is available for charge. ... </nowiki> and save the page --> This page provides supplementary chemical data on COMPOUND. // The handling of this chemical may incur notable safety precautions. ... </nowiki> and save the page --> This page provides supplementary chemical data on COMPOUND. // The handling of this chemical may incur notable safety precautions. ... The refractive index (or index of refraction) of a material is the factor by which the phase velocity of electromagnetic radiation is slowed in that material, relative to its velocity in a vacuum. ... The dielectric constant εr (represented as or K in some cases) is defined as the ratio: where εs is the static permittivity of the material in question, and ε0 is the vacuum permittivity. ... </nowiki> and save the page --> This page provides supplementary chemical data on COMPOUND. // The handling of this chemical may incur notable safety precautions. ... </nowiki> and save the page --> This page provides supplementary chemical data on COMPOUND. // The handling of this chemical may incur notable safety precautions. ... Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy or Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometry (UV/ VIS) involves the spectroscopy of photons (spectrophotometry). ... IR spectrum of a thin film of liquid ethanol. ... Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy most commonly known as NMR Spectroscopy is the name given to the technique which exploits the magnetic properties of nuclei. ... Basic schematic of a mass spectrometer Mass spectrometry (also known as mass spectroscopy (deprecated)[1] or in common speech mass-spec) is an analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. ... An ion is an atom or group of atoms that normally are electrically neutral and achieve their status as an ion by loss or addition of one or more electrons. ... Magnesium sulfate or Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate or Epsom salt is a chemical compound containing magnesium, with the formula MgSO4·7H2O. Magnesium sulfate without water of crystalization MgSO4 is available as a far less common chemical and drying agent, but typically magnesium sulfate refers to the hydrate, and Epsom salt always... A crystal of Alum Alum, in chemistry, is a term given to the crystallized double sulfates of the typical formula M+2SO4·M3+2(SO4)3·24H2O, where M+ is the sign of an alkali metal (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, or caesium), and M3+ denotes one of the trivalent metal... In chemistry, the standard state of a material is its state at 1 bar (100 kilopascals) and 25 degrees Celsius (298. ... A crystal of Alum Alum, in chemistry, is a term given to the crystallized double sulfates of the typical formula M+2SO4·M3+2(SO4)3·24H2O, where M+ is the sign of an alkali metal (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, or caesium), and M3+ denotes one of the trivalent metal... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... Aluminium sulfate is a widely used industrial chemical. ... A flocculant is a chemical which causes the particles in a colloidal dispersal to clump together and form flocs. Flocculants are commonly used to facilitate the removal by filtration of particles of impurity from a liquid which would otherwise be too fine to be caught by a filter. ...

Aluminium sulfate is rarely, if ever, encountered as the anhydrous salt. It forms a number of different hydrates, of which the hexadecahydrate is the most common. Hydrate is a term which means different things in inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry. ...

It can also be very effective as a molluscicide, killing Spanish slugs. ^{[citation needed]} Molluscicides are pesticides used to control molluscs, i. ...

Preparation

Aluminum sulfate may be made by dissolving aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)₃, in sulfuric acid, H₂SO₄: ... Sulfuric acid (British English: sulphuric acid), H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ...

2Al(OH)₃ + 3H₂SO₄ + 10H₂O → Al₂(SO₄)₃·16H₂O

Uses

Aluminum Sulfate is used in water purification and as a mordant in dyeing and printing textiles. In water purification, it causes impurities to coagulate which are removed as the particulate settles to the bottom of the container or more easily filtered. Water purification is the removal of contaminants from raw water to produce drinking water that is pure enough for human consumption or for industrial use. ... Look up Mordant on Wiktionary, the free dictionary A mordant is a substance used to set dyes. ...

When dissolved in a large amount of neutral or slightly-alkaline water, aluminum sulfate produces a gelatinous precipitate of aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)₃. In dyeing and printing cloth, the gelatinous precipitate helps the dye adhere to the clothing fibers by rendering the pigment insoluble. ...

Aluminum sulfate is sometimes used to reduce the pH of garden soil, as it hydrolyzes to form the aluminum hydroxide precipitate and a dilute sulfuric acid solution. . The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions. ... Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction or process in which a molecule is split into two parts by reacting with a molecule of water, which has the chemical formula H2O. One of the parts gets an OH- from the water molecule and the other part gets an H+ from the water. ... Sulfuric acid (British English: sulphuric acid), H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ...

Aluminum sulfate is the active ingredient of some antiperspirants; however, beginning in 2005 the US Food and Drug Administration no longer recognized it as a wetness reducer. Deodorants are cosmetic substances applied to the body, most frequently the armpits, to reduce the odor of perspiration. ... The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating food (humans and animal), dietary supplements, drugs (human and animal), cosmetics, medical devices (human and animal) and radiation emitting devices (including non-medical devices), biologics, and...

It is also used in styptic pencils. A Styptic pencil is a short stick of medication, usually alum, used for staunching blood, especially for cuts caused by shaving. ...

See also

• Camelford, a town in Cornwall (UK) where the local water supplies were accidentally contaminated with aluminum sulfate.

Camelford is a town in Cornwall, England. ... Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county in South West England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. ...

References

• Pauling, Linus (1970). General Chemistry. W.H. Freeman: San Francisco. ISBN 0-486-65622-5.

External links

• International Chemical Safety Card 1191
• NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards

• Links to external chemical sources.