How to Make Aluminum Sulfate
- 1). Wear a lab coat and a pair of safety goggles.
Prepare a clear bench to carry out the experiment and allow for ventilation by opening a door or window. - 2). Measure out 100 milliliters of aluminum hydroxide powder and place into a glass container. Slowly add 10 percent sulfuric acid solution to the aluminum hydroxide while stirring. The temperature of the mixture will start to climb. Therefore take this step slowly and allow the mixture to cool before adding more acid.
- 3). Dip a strip of litmus paper into the mixture after stirring each addition of sulfuric acid.
If the litmus paper turns blue, continue to add acid. If it has turned red then add a small amount of aluminum hydroxide to the mixture until the litmus paper has reached a neutral color - the color of litmus paper before dipping. - 4). Allow the mixture to sit and cool, and the aluminum sulfate should begin to precipitate out; this may take a few days. Without stirring up the precipitate, pour off the liquid leaving behind the white crystalline aluminum sulfate.
- 5). Pour the aluminum sulfate on to some paper towels and spread it out to speed up the drying process. Place the dried aluminum sulfate into a glass container and label it.
