Aluminium sulfacetate
[1] In 1899, Albert Ganswindt recommended that the use of impure sulfacetates that are empyreumatic liquids "should be abandoned" in favour of pure preparations.[5] Empyreuma is an obsolete chemical and medical term referring to "the smell and taste associated with burning vegetable and animal matter",[6] and likely results in this case from the use of pyroligneous acid (wood acid) or wood acid lime in the preparation of the mordant.The relative amount of each reagent controls the composition of the resulting mixture.[1] When the stoichiometric ratio of lead acetate to aluminium sulfate exceeds 3:1, the process is theoretically driven to completion and aluminium triacetate is the sole product.This approach is used to form various mixtures for mordant applications:[1] Basic aluminium sulfacetates can also be prepared, Al2SO4(CH3CO2)4 - n(OH)n, with hydroxide anions replacing some acetate ions.