aluminum acetate

Aluminium triacetate

Aluminium triacetate, formally named aluminium acetate, is a chemical compound with composition Al(CH3CO2)3. Under standard conditions it appears as a white, water-soluble solid that decomposes on heating at around 200 °C. The triacetate hydrolyses to a mixture of basic hydroxide / acetate salts, and multiple species co-exist in chemical equilibrium, particularly in aqueous solutions of the acetate ion; the name aluminium acetate is commonly used for this mixed system. It has therapeutic applications for its anti-itching, astringent, and antiseptic properties, and, as an over-the-counter preparation like Burow's solution, it is used to treat ear infections. Burow's solution preparations have been diluted and modified with amino acids to make them more palatable for use as gargles for conditions like aphthous ulcers of the mouth. In veterinary medicine, aluminium triacetate's astringency property is used for treating Mortellaro disease in hoofed animals such as cattle. Aluminium triacetate is used as a mordant agent with dyes like alizarin, both alone and in combination. Together with aluminium diacetate or with aluminium sulfacetate it is used with cotton, other cellulose fibres, and silk. It has also been combined with ferrous acetate to produce different colours.