Question
Question: Can we store lemon pickle in an aluminium vessel?...
Can we store lemon pickle in an aluminium vessel?
Solution
Aluminium belongs to group number 13and is metallic in nature. Metal reacts with an acid and generates metal salt and hydrogen gas. Citric acid is present in lemon pickle.
Complete answer:
Aluminium with chemical symbol Al and atomic number 13 belongs to period 3and group number 13. It is metallic in nature and reacts with an acid to generate metal salts and hydrogen gas. In the case of lemon, citric acid is present in it. Therefore, if we store lemon pickle in an aluminium vessel then a reaction between aluminium and citric acid takes place which leads to the formation of aluminium citrate and hydrogen gas. This evolved hydrogen gas spoils the pickle and thus is not good for health. That’s why we cannot store lemon pickles in an aluminium vessel. It is also worth mentioning that generated metal salt, which is aluminium citrate, is also hazardous to human health.
Therefore, we cannot store lemon pickle in an aluminium vessel.
Additional information:
Stainless steel is the safest option to store lemon pickle. It is an alloy of iron, nickel and chromium. An alloy is the mixture of metal with some other elements in order to make properties that are different from pure metal.
Note:
It is important to note that we cannot store lemon pickle in an aluminium vessel as reaction takes place between aluminium and lemon pickle. Lemon contains citric acid which reacts with aluminium metal and generates metal salt and hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas spoils the pickle and metal salt is hazardous for health.