Introduction
Aluminum is a significant good in modern society due to its many uses in commercial goods. Because aluminum is consumed so rapidly, it becomes somewhat expensive to extract it from its original source. In recent years, there has been a push toward the recycling of aluminum through electrolytic reactions resulting in significant decreases in cost and aluminum production.
Materials and Methods Using a scoopula 1.2141 grams of aluminum can pieces were weighted on an analytical balance and placed inside a 250mL beaker. On end of a rubber cord was then connected to the aspirator (located on the lab table) while the other end was connected to a funnel, functioning as a fume hood. The funnel was placed on top of the 250mL beaker containing the aluminum pieces. 50mL of 1.4M of KOH was carefully measured in a graduated cylinder then added to the aluminum can pieces. To speed up the process, a stir bar was added to the 250mL beaker containing the KOH solution and the aluminum can pieces and were then placed on a hot plate (3rd heat setting). Once the reaction reached a certain the volume dropped drastically below 25mL, so
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In the equation, Al metal was oxidized to aluminum with an oxidation number of +3 and the hydrogen in KOH or in water was reduced from an oxidation number of +1 to zero in hydrogen gas. Reaction #2 was an acid-base reaction. The H^+ ions from the sulfuric acid neutralized the base Al(OH〖)_4〗^- ,producing the white and chunky solid precipitate of aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)_3. Reaction #3 was a metathesis or double displacement reaction. In the product, aluminum combined with SO_4 from sulfuric acid and hydrogen combines with OH to produce H_2O. Lastly, reaction #4 was a precipitate reaction. This is known because a precipitate reaction can be defined as a reaction where 2 or more solutions area mixed and a solid forms as a result. In reaction #4 the precipitate that formed was