What is the significance of Al2(SO4)3 in salt analysis?
Asked by Nandini Gupta · 2 years ago
Can someone explain the significance of aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3) in salt analysis? How is it used in identifying cations?
1 Answer
In salt analysis, also known as qualitative inorganic analysis, aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3) plays a key role in identifying cations. When performing group analysis of cations, Al3+ ions belong to the third group of cations which are precipitated as hydroxides.
To identify the presence of Al3+ ions in a given salt, the sample is treated with ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH). Aluminum ions react with ammonium hydroxide to form a white gelatinous precipitate of aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3):
Al3+ + 3NH4OH → Al(OH)3 (s) + 3NH4+
This reaction confirms the presence of aluminum ions in the salt. Thus, aluminum sulfate is important in salt analysis for the identification of Al3+ cations.
NEET Faculty · 2 years ago
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