Aluminium sulfate facts for kids
Aluminium sulfate is a special chemical compound. You might also see it spelled aluminum sulfate or sulphate. It looks like a white, powdery or crystal-like solid. Its chemical formula is Al2(SO4)3, which tells scientists exactly what atoms it's made of.
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What is Aluminium Sulfate?
Aluminium sulfate is a type of salt that contains aluminium and sulfate parts. It's not the kind of salt you put on food, though! It's a man-made chemical.
How is Aluminium Sulfate Made?
Scientists can create aluminium sulfate by mixing two other chemicals. They take aluminium oxide, which is a compound found in bauxite ore, and dissolve it in sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid is a very strong acid. When these two chemicals combine, they form aluminium sulfate.
What is Aluminium Sulfate Used For?
Aluminium sulfate has many important uses in our daily lives. It helps make things cleaner and stronger.
Cleaning Water with Aluminium Sulfate
One of the most important uses of aluminium sulfate is in cleaning water. When water is taken from rivers or lakes to become drinking water, it often has tiny bits of dirt or other particles floating in it. Aluminium sulfate is added to the water, and it acts like a magnet for these tiny particles. It makes them clump together into bigger pieces called "flocs." These bigger clumps are heavy and sink to the bottom, making it easy to remove them. This process helps make our drinking water safe and clear.
Aluminium Sulfate in Paper Making
Aluminium sulfate is also very useful in making paper. It helps the paper fibers stick together better. It also helps the paper absorb inks evenly when it's printed. This makes paper stronger and better for writing or printing.
Other Uses of Aluminium Sulfate
You might find aluminium sulfate in other products too:
- It's sometimes used in baking powder to help baked goods rise.
- It can be found in some deodorants, helping to reduce sweating.
- Gardeners sometimes use it to make their soil more acidic, which is good for certain plants like hydrangeas.
- It can also be used as a molluscicide, which means it helps control slugs and snails in gardens.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Sulfato de aluminio para niños
Images for kids
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Sediment core sampled from a Minnesota lake. Aluminum sulfate flocs are depicted as white clumps near the sediment surface.
