Aluminium oxide

Aluminium oxide

Samples of ruby, a red variant of corundum.
Names
IUPAC name Dialuminum;oxygen(2-)
Systematic IUPAC name Aluminium oxide
Other names Alumina corundum ruby Saphire
Identifiers
Jmol-3D images	Image
SMILES [Al+3].[Al+3].[O-2].[O-2].[O-2]
Properties
Chemical formula	Al2O3
Appearance	white solid
Density	3.95–4.1 g/cm3
Melting point	2,072 °C (3,762 °F; 2,345 K)
Boiling point	2,977 °C (5,391 °F; 3,250 K)
Solubility in water	insoluble
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

Aluminium oxide or alumina is the chemical compound of aluminum and oxygen, with chemical formula Al₂O₃. It's the most common and stable form of the aluminium oxides. Aluminium oxide occurs naturally in it's crystalline alpha phase as mineral corundum.

Properties

Chemical

Aluminium oxide will react with sodium hydroxide to form sodium aluminate.

Physical

Aluminium oxide is very hard solid (9 Mohs scale). It's electrical insulator.

Availability

Aluminium oxide is often present in sandpapers, you can also buy it from mineral collectors as corrundum or gemstones like ruby or saphire.

Heating elements also contain alumina powder which acts as an insulator for the resistance wiring.

Preparation

Aluminium oxide is a product of thermite reaction:

M₂O₃ + 2 Al → Al₂O₃ + 2 M

This reaction also gives various aluminates, and separating the alumina from the slag is complicated and may not worth it.

A much better method involves the dehydration of aluminium hydroxide

Projects

• Make aluminium salts

Handling

No special handling is necessary.

Safety

Avoid inhalating the dust. Aluminium oxide isn't flamable or explosive.

Storage

Storage in closed bottles is adequate.

Disposal

Aluminium oxide could be safely dumped with normal trash or spilled out in a soil.

References

Relevant Sciencemadness threads

• Making Relatively Pure Alumina