Discover The 15 Incredible Facts On H2SO4 + AlCl3 Reaction

AlCl₃, named Aluminium chloride, is a Lewis acid, and H₂SO₄ (sulfuric acid) is a strong inorganic acid. Let us examine their reaction in detail.

H₂SO₄, also known as the “oil of vitriol”, is a powerful dehydrating agent used in various organic syntheses. AlCl₃ is highly hygroscopic and forms hydrates when reacts with moisture.

In this article, we will discuss the reaction products, enthalpy, and molecular forces involved in the reaction of H₂SO₄ and AlCl₃.

What is the product of H₂SO₄ and AlCl₃

Al₂(SO₄)₃ (Aluminium sulfate) and HCl (hydrochloric acid) are the products of the reaction H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃.

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ → Al₂(SO₄)₃ + HCl

What type of reaction is H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ is a double displacement reaction.

How to balance H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃

The balanced equation is derived using the below steps

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ → Al₂(SO₄)₃ + HCl

• The elements present in the reactants and the products are counted.

Elements involved	Reactants side	Products side
H	2	1
Al	1	2
S	1	3
O	4	12
Cl	3	1

• In the next step, coefficients are used to balance the number of elements on each side of the equation. A coefficient of 2, 3, and 6 are added before AlCl₃, H₂SO_4, and HCl, respectively.

• Thus, the balanced equation is

• 3H₂SO₄ + 2AlCl₃ → Al₂(SO₄)₃ + 6HCl

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ titration

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ titration is not possible as H₂SO₄ and AlCl₃ both are acidic in nature so H₂SO₄ cannot be used to titrate against AlCl₃.

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ net ionic equation

The net ionic equation for H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ is

6H⁺(aq)+ 3SO₄^2-(aq) + 2Al³⁺(aq) + 6Cl^–(aq)→ 2Al³⁺(aq) + 3SO₄^2-(aq)+ 6H⁺(aq) + 6Cl^–(aq)

 The net ionic equation is obtained using the following steps

• The balanced equation is written in the first step.
• 3H₂SO₄ + 2AlCl₃ → Al₂(SO₄)₃ + 6HCl
• The phases (solid, liquid, gas, or aqueous) is indicated for the species involved in the reaction.
• 3H₂SO₄(aq) + 2AlCl₃(aq)→ Al₂(SO₄)₃(aq)+ 6HCl(aq)
• The strong electrolytes are split into their corresponding ions.
• 6H⁺(aq)+ 3SO₄^2-(aq) + 2Al³⁺(aq) + 6Cl^–(aq)→ 2Al³⁺(aq) + 3SO₄^2-(aq)+ 6H⁺(aq) + 6Cl^–(aq)
• In the above equation all the ions are balanced so the net ionic equation is
• 6H⁺(aq)+ 3SO₄^2-(aq) + 2Al³⁺(aq) + 6Cl^–(aq)→ 2Al³⁺(aq) + 3SO₄^2-(aq)+ 6H⁺(aq) + 6Cl^–(aq)

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ conjugate pairs

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ will be a conjugate pair as

H₂SO₄ + Cl^– = SO₄^2- + HCl

• SO₄^2- is the conjugate base of acid H₂SO₄.
• HCl is formed as the conjugate acid of Cl^– (base).

H₂SO₄ and AlCl₃ intermolecular forces

The intermolecular forces found in the H₂SO₄ and AlCl₃ are,

• Dispersion forces, hydrogen bonding, and dipole-dipole interactions exist between the molecules of H₂SO₄.
• Electrostatic interactions are present in AlCl₃ molecules as the compound is ionic in nature.

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ reaction enthalpy

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ reaction enthalpy is -140.54 KJ/mol. The enthalpy is calculated using the values listed below and by putting them in the formula,

Compounds involved	Enthalpy in KJ/mol
H2SO4	-814
HCl	-92.3
AlCl3	-705.63
Al2(SO4)3	-3440

• ∆H_f^°(reaction) = ∆H_f^°(products) – ∆H_f^°(reactants)

• = -3993.8 – (-3853.26)

• = -140.54 KJ/mol

Is H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ a buffer solution

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ will not make a buffer solution as the acid H₂SO₄ is a strong acid whereas weak acid is required to make a buffer.

Is H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ a complete reaction

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ is a complete reaction as the reactants are completely consumed to form the products and the products are not undergoing any further reaction.

Is H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ an exothermic or endothermic reaction

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ is an exothermic reaction due to the liberation of heat during the reaction and the enthalpy is also negative for the reaction.

Is H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ a redox reaction

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ is not a redox reaction as the oxidation states of the elements do not change after the reaction.

Is H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ a precipitation reaction

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ is not a precipitation reaction as the products obtained are completely soluble in water and no precipitate is formed.

Is H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ reversible or irreversible reaction

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ is a reversible reaction because HCl is more acidic than H₂SO₄ so the backward reaction is more feasible as the equilibrium shift towards a less acidic product.

Is H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ displacement reaction

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ is a double-displacement reaction where the aluminium being more reactive displaces the hydrogen from its salt to form Al₂(SO₄)₃ and the H⁺ ion combines with chloride ion to give HCl.

H₂SO₄ + AlCl₃ = Al₂(SO₄)₃ + HCl

Conclusion

The reaction is exothermic and reversible. Al₂(SO₄)₃ produced is widely used as a mordant in the dyeing industry and has high importance in the purification of water and removal of phosphorus from wastewater. HCl is a strong acid and has immense application in synthetic chemistry.