Role of water in the aging of aluminum hydroxide suspensions

The rate of acid neutralization of anhydrous suspensions of amorphous aluminum hydroxide in methanol did not change during aging. At low water content, when all of the water was adsorbed, an initial decrease in the rate of acid neutralization was observed but no further change occurred during aging. When enough water was present to exceed the adsorptive capacity and produce water in the bulk methanol, the initial rate of acid neutralization decreased and a decrease in the rate of acid neutralization also occurred during aging. The decrease in rate of acid neutralization during aging is believed to be due to polymorphic transformation of the amorphous aluminum hydroxide and aggregation. The change caused by aggregation could be reversed by dehydration or sonication, but the change due to polymorphic transformation could not be reversed.