CHEMISTRY OF ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE SUSPENSIONS

Abstract

The problem of the chemistry of aluminum hydroxide preparations was originally referred by the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry to Dr. Victor C. Myers and his associates at Western Reserve University, Cleveland. In 1938 Dr. Myers compared the chemical properties of commercial products then available with a preparation made by a method devised by Dr. I. H. Einsel. This method depended on the possible intermediary formation of aluminum carbonate resulting from the double decomposition of equivalent quantities of aluminum chloride and sodium carbonate in aqueous solution. The aluminum carbonate hydrolyzes to form aluminum hydroxide and carbonic acid. Most of the carbonic acid is decomposed to form free carbon dioxide and water. The resulting mixture was adjusted to be slightly alkaline to phenol red. This material was then centrifuged, the supernatant liquid discarded and the residue made up to the original volume with water. This was again centrifuged, and the final