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Question:

Why does the aluminum and cleaner bomb work? What reacts Aluminum and what in the cleaner?

Why does the aluminum and cleaner bomb work? What reacts Aluminum and what in the cleaner?

Answer:

In a basic solution aluminum metal react with water to produce hydrogen gas just like sodium or potassium react with water to produce H2The people who first made Drano drain cleaner put small pieces of aluminum foil with the flakes of solid NaOHThe basic solution is necessary to dissolve hair, the usual suspect when it comes to drain clogs, and the NaOH reacts with the Al2O3 coating on the surface of aluminumAll aluminum has a surface coating of aluminum oxide which protects the aluminum from any further oxidationThe OH- ions react with the coating to make Al(OH)4^- ions and expose Al metalThe Al metal reacts with water to make H2 gas Al + 4H2O - Al(OH)4^- + 2H2(g)

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