Alum Lab Report

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Grace Ngobia Dr. Reid Chem 1411 7/2/2013 The Synthesis of Alum from Aluminum Foil Objective: 1. To conduct the synthesize of alum from aluminum: recycle aluminum. 2. To use recrystallization as a technique to purifying alum. 3. To calculate the percent yield of the alum synthesis reaction. Intro: Aluminum is the 3rd most abundant element in the earth’s crust. However, vast amounts of energy are necessary for the production of aluminum from its ore sources. In the United States, 1500 aluminum cans are recycled per second with an energy savings of 95 percent over refining and smelting bauxite ore. Though aluminum cans are currently recycled to make more aluminum products, scrap aluminum metal can also be used to product alum. This is why many communities have programs in place to recycle aluminum cans. The lifetime of an aluminum can on average is about 100 years. The littering of cans along roadways are not only an eyesore but also a drain on natural resources. This experiment will demonstrate a chemical technique for recycling used aluminum. You will prepare the compound potassium aluminum sulfate dodecahydrate, KAl(SO4)2 • 12 H2O, or Alum for short, from elemental aluminum. Alum is used in the paper industry, in processing pickles, in dying fabrics and in water purification as well as wastewater treatment. This technique can be used with aluminum cans but only after removing the exterior paint and the interior plastic coating. Alum is a chemical used in a myriad of applications including water purification, marble cement, explosives, tanning, hardening gelatin, baking powders, clarifying sugar, hardening plaster casts, and as a medicinal astringent. In this experiment, you will produce alum from an aluminum can in a multi-step synthesis reaction summarized by equation 1. You will then purify the alum through a process called recrystallization and

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