Ammonium alum
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| Other names
Ammonium alum
Tschermigite | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol)
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| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.029.141 |
| EC Number |
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| E number | E523 (acidity regulators, ...) |
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PubChem CID
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties[1] | |
| (NH4)Al(SO4)2 | |
| Molar mass | 237.15 g/mol (anhydrous) 453.33 g/mol (dodecahydrate) |
| Appearance | white crystals |
| Density | 2.45 g/cm3 (anhydrous) 1.64 g/cm3 (dodecahydrate) |
| Melting point | 93.5 °C (200.3 °F; 366.6 K) (dodecahydrate) |
| Boiling point | 120 °C (248 °F; 393 K) dehydr. (dodecahydrate) |
| 15 g/100 ml (20 °C, dodecahydrate) | |
| Structure[1] | |
| Hexagonal (anhydrous) Cubic (dodecahydrate) | |
| Octahedral (Al3+) | |
| Hazards[2] | |
| GHS labelling: | |
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| Warning | |
| H315, H319 | |
| P264, P280, P302+P352, P305+P351+P338, P321, P332+P313, P337+P313, P362 | |
| Flash point | Non-flammable |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | External MSDS |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Ammonium aluminium sulfate, also known as ammonium alum or just alum, is a white crystalline double sulfate usually encountered as the dodecahydrate, formula (NH4)Al(SO4)2·12H2O. It is used in small amounts in a variety of niche applications. The dodecahydrate occurs naturally as the rare mineral tschermigite.[1]
Production and basic properties
Ammonium alum is made from aluminium hydroxide, sulfuric acid and ammonium sulfate. It forms a solid solution with potassium alum. Pyrolysis leaves alumina. Such alumina is used in the production of grinding powders and as precursors to synthetic gems.[3]
Uses
Ammonium alum is not a major industrial chemical or a particularly useful laboratory reagent, but it is cheap and effective, which invites many niche applications. It is used in water purification, in vegetable glues, in porcelain cements, in deodorants and in tanning, dyeing and in fireproofing textiles.[4] The pH of the solution resulting from the topical application of ammonium alum with perspiration is typically in the slightly acid range, from 3 to 5.[5]
Ammonium alum is a common ingredient in animal repellant sprays.[6][7][8]
Toxicology
Alum was once a common pickling ingredient used to promote crispness in preserved vegetable, due to the way it reacts with natural pectin. It has fallen out of use from a suspected link to Alzheimer's Disease, and is no longer recommended for pickling.[9]
Aluminium sulfate, closely related to ammonium alum, is considered nontoxic up to LD50 of 6207 mg/kg. For reduced concentrations no human or ecological toxicity officially registered.[10]
References
- ^ a b c Weast, Robert C., ed. (1981). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (62nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. pp. B-74, B-75. ISBN 0-8493-0462-8..
- ^ HSNO Chemical Classification Information Database, New Zealand Environmental Risk Management Authority.
- ^ Otto Helmboldt, L. Keith Hudson, Chanakya Misra, Karl Wefers, Wolfgang Heck, Hans Stark, Max Danner, Norbert Rösch "Aluminum Compounds, Inorganic" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2007, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.doi:10.1002/14356007.a01_527.pub2
- ^ "Alum", The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.), Ithaca, NY: Columbia University Press, 2004, retrieved 2009-11-23.
- ^ Aluminum Ammonium Sulfate Material Safety Data Sheet, J. T. Baker, March 2009, retrieved 2009-11-23.
- ^ D-TER Animal and Bird Repellent, Bruce Harris Project Management Pty Ltd, 2004-09-04, retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Multicrop Scat Bird and Animal Repellent Data Sheet (PDF), Multicrop (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., 2003-03-04, retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Pest Control: Foxes, Tandridge District Council (UK), February 2006, retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ "Safe Preserving: Grape Leaves, Alum and Old Wive's Tales". University of Wisconsin. September 18, 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ammonium alum", PAN Pesticide Database, Pesticides Action Network, retrieved 2009-11-23.