Why is the aqueous solution of aluminium chloride acidic?

1 Answer
May 23, 2017

An aqueous solution of "AlCl"_3 is a product of the the neutralization reaction between hydrochloric acid ("HCl") and aluminum hydroxide ( "Al(OH)"_3).

"HCl" is a strong acid, and "Al(OH)"_3 is a weak base. When a strong acid solution and a weak base solution mix, the resulting saline solution will be slightly acidic, as the acid is stronger and "overpowers" the effects of the weak base, essentially.