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Synthesis of Alum From Scrap Aluminum Lab

1) The document describes an experiment to synthesize alum from scrap aluminum. The procedure involves reacting aluminum strips with potassium hydroxide solution to produce potassium aluminate, then adding sulfuric acid to form alum crystals. 2) Safety precautions are outlined for handling corrosive and flammable chemicals used. Personal protective equipment like safety glasses and gloves are required. 3) The experiment is performed in a fume hood, involving heating aluminum in potassium hydroxide, filtering and cooling the solution, adding sulfuric acid, crystallizing alum, filtering and drying the product, and conducting tests on the synthesized alum.

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176 views2 pages

Synthesis of Alum From Scrap Aluminum Lab

1) The document describes an experiment to synthesize alum from scrap aluminum. The procedure involves reacting aluminum strips with potassium hydroxide solution to produce potassium aluminate, then adding sulfuric acid to form alum crystals. 2) Safety precautions are outlined for handling corrosive and flammable chemicals used. Personal protective equipment like safety glasses and gloves are required. 3) The experiment is performed in a fume hood, involving heating aluminum in potassium hydroxide, filtering and cooling the solution, adding sulfuric acid, crystallizing alum, filtering and drying the product, and conducting tests on the synthesized alum.

Uploaded by

zack123321
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Zackary Park

Experiment 4: Synthesis of Alum from Scrap


Aluminum
October 1, 2013
9-12
Tuesday
T.A. Michael Casey
Dr. Eranthie Weerapana
Pre-lab
Pickles
1. Take 2 gallons of washed/chunked pickling cucumbers and place in crock or nonaluminum container. Measure enough water to cover cucumbers. Add 1 pint of
pickling salt to water. Boil the water. Pour boiling salt water to cucumbers.
Weigh cucumbers down with plate. Leave alone for 1 week.
2. Drain pickles and discard brine after 1 week. Cover pickles with fresh boiling
water. Let stand for 24 hours.
3. Drain and save liquid. Add 6 g of alum to liquid. Boil liquid and pour over pickles.
Let stand for 24 hours.
4. Do not boil, but bring to boiling point. Wash jars and keep hot. Prepare lids.
Pack pickles into hot jars leaving inch of room overhead. Wipe rims with damp
cloth. Seal jars with lids. For 10 minutes, process in boiling bath.
Caution!
1. KOH: care not to splatter and avoid eyes and skin because extremely caustic.
2. H2SO4: care for heat production by wearing gloves
3. Ethanol: check ethanol is not around because extremely flammable when lighting
burner.
4. HCl: care not to splatter and wear gloves because extremely corrosive.
Procedure
1. Wear safety glasses.
2. Obtain aluminum from can. Cut into strips. Weigh 0.5 g of strips. Place into 150
mL beaker. Add 25 mL of 1.5 M KOH solution.
3. Perform following steps in fume hood.
4. Set beaker on hot plate. Turn dial to medium high. Heat mixture for 30 minutes.
Stir continuously. Keep volume constant by adding water. Do not allow bubbles
to overflow.
5. Fizzing around metals should stop. Turn hot plate off. Filter the solution through
filter paper in a funnel. Place funnel in funnel holder. Use 250 mL beaker to
collect filtrate. Cool to room temperature.
6. Add 10 mL of 9 M H2SO4 in 2 - 3 mL portions. Stir continuously. Solid will form
but will dissolve after more acidification.
7. If white lumps remain, heat mixture while stirring until solution is clear. Remove
heat and cool solution to room temperature.
8. Fill beaker - full with ice and cold water. Place beaker in ice water for 20
minutes. Crystals of alum should form. If no crystals form, stir solution and
scratch inside of beaker with glass rod.
9. Set-up filter flask (TECH Section I.F.). Turn on vacuum. Wet filter paper with
water. Push down on funnel of vacuum. Pour crystals on filter paper. Allow liquid
to drain. Wash beaker with 10 mL of 50/50 ethanol/water solution. Pour mixture
over crystals in funnel. Let liquid drain. Wash crystals with 10 mL of ethanol.
Dry crystals using vacuum for 5 minutes. Scrape crystals off filter paper onto
watch glass. Pour liquid filtrate into correct Laboratory Byproducts jar.
[Link] small amount of solid alum on watchglass and carry it to section of
laboratory set up for flame tests. Clean wire loop by dipping it in solution of HCl.
Place in Bunsen burner flame until it glows red. Touch the hot loop to small
amount of alum on watchglass so crystals stick to loop. Hold crystals in flame for
few seconds until solid glows. Record observations, especially flame color.

Zackary Park
Experiment 4: Synthesis of Alum from Scrap
Aluminum
October 1, 2013
9-12
Tuesday
T.A. Michael Casey
Dr. Eranthie Weerapana
[Link] 1 mL of 1.4 M KOH solution. Place 1 drop of solution in test tube. Add 9
drops of water. Transfer spatula tip of alum crystals to clean test tube. Dissolve
alum in 5 drops of water. While stirring with glass rod, add 1 4 drops of 0.14 M
KOH solution. Observe and record what happens. Add 1 4 of 1.4 KOH solution.
Observe and record what happens.
12.
Clean up work bench, fume hood, and sink. Hand in vial containing
product to instructor.

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