I'm doing an experiment with aluminum wires, and when I put them in saltwater, they starting growing these orangish blobs. Then, in regular water, they looked darker in some parts. In air, obviously nothing happened. Can anyone explain what the heck happened with the wires in saltwater because I'm clueless right now? :confused::confused:

The reaction you see is Aluminum metal in the wire reacting with the NaCl salt in the water:

 

Al + 3NaCl ---> Al(Cl)3 + 3Na

 

The strange thing you saw was the production of Aluminum Chloride.

are you sure they were aluminum wires? not steel? and not the type used for soldering, which are tin/lead?

 

well regardless of what metal you used, i doubt you got chloride, if anything you probably got oxide- i.e. aluminum oxide because salt helps facilitate rusting.

are you sure they were aluminum wires? not steel? and not the type used for soldering, which are tin/lead?

 

well regardless of what metal you used, i doubt you got chloride, if anything you probably got oxide- i.e. aluminum oxide because salt helps facilitate rusting.

I highly doubt it's oxide - aluminium is usually coated in a layer of oxide under standard conditions, due to its reactivity. Aluminium isn't orange so I assume its oxide isn't either.