Aluminium nitrate

Aluminium nitrate
IUPAC name Aluminium nitrate
Other names Nitric acid, aluminum salt aluminum nitrate aluminium(III) nitrate
Identifiers
CAS number	13473-90-0 Y,  7784-27-2 (nonahydrate)
PubChem	26053
ChemSpider	24267 Y
RTECS number	BD1040000 (anhydrous) BD1050000 (nonahydrate)
Jmol-3D images	Image 1
SMILES [Al+3].O=[N+]([O-])[O-].[O-][N+]([O-])=O.[O-][N+]([O-])=O
InChI InChI=1S/Al.3NO3/c;3*2-1(3)4/q+3;3*-1 Y Key: JLDSOYXADOWAKB-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y InChI=1/Al.3NO3/c;3*2-1(3)4/q+3;3*-1 Key: JLDSOYXADOWAKB-UHFFFAOYAJ
Properties
Molecular formula	Al(NO3)3
Molar mass	212.996 g/mol (anhydrous) 375.134 g/mol (nonahydrate)
Appearance	white solid hygroscopic
Odor	odorless
Density	1.72 g/cm3 (nonahydrate)
Melting point	72.8 °C, 346 K, 163 °F (nonahydrate)
Boiling point	135 °C, 408 K, 275 °F (nonahydrate, decomp.)
Solubility in water	anhydrous: 60.0 g/100 mL (0°C) 73.4 g/100 mL (20 °C) 160 g/100 mL (100 °C) nonahydrate: 67.3 g/100 mL
Solubility in methanol	14.45 g/ 100mL
Solubility in ethanol	8.63 g/ 100mL
Solubility in ethylene glycol	18.32 g/100 mL
Refractive index (nD)	1.54
Hazards
MSDS	External MSDS
NFPA 704	0 0 3 OX
Flash point	135 °C (nonahydrate)
LD50	4280 mg/kg, oral (rat)
Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Aluminium nitrate is a salt of aluminium and nitric acid, existing normally as a crystalline hydrate, most commonly as aluminium nitrate nonahydrate, Al(NO₃)₃·9H₂O, with a molecular formula weight of 212.996 g/mol.

Preparation

Aluminium nitrate is not easily made by adding aluminium to nitric acid, as the aluminium forms a passivation layer.

Aluminium nitrate is made by adding nitric acid to aluminium trichloride. Nitrosyl chloride is produced as a by-product; it bubbles out of the solution as a gas.

Aluminum nitrate nonahydrate can also be made by adding a lead nitrate solution to an aluminum sulfate solution. The insoluble lead sulfate is precipitated out of the solution, leaving a solution of aluminum nitrate.

Uses

Aluminium nitrate is a strong oxidizing agent. It is used in tanning leather, antiperspirants, corrosion inhibitors, extraction of uranium, petroleum refining, and as a nitrating agent.

The nonahydrate and other hydrated aluminum nitrates have many applications. These salts are used to produce alumina for preparation of insulating papers, in cathode ray tube heating elements, and on transformer core laminates. The hydrated salts are also used for the extraction of actinide elements.

It is used in the laboratory and classroom such as in the reaction:

Al(NO₃)₃ + 3NaOH → Al(OH)₃ + 3NaNO₃

External links

• http://www.eol.ucar.edu/~beaton/ChemWeb/worksheets/rxnws.html
• MSDS of nonahydrate
• Government of Canada Fact Sheets and Frequently Asked Questions: Aluminum Salts