Question

Does vinegar dissolve aluminum?

Answer 1

Hint: The assertion of whether vinegar would dissolve aluminum or not can be dealt with only after we understand what are the criteria upon which a substance can dissolve the other substance when it comes in contact with it. These criteria can include acid-base reaction, or decomposition reaction, or any such combination reaction, etc.

Complete answer:
Vinegar is the common name for acetic acid, which has the chemical formula as $C{H_3}COOH$ . Now, since it is an acid, it holds the properties of an acid which corresponds to the ability of it to dissolve aluminum in it. However, this is possible only when the amount of vinegar taken is high as well the concentration must be high. If aluminum is kept into vinegar for a prolonged duration of time, we notice that the aluminum metal/element dissolves into it. The common example of it is when a foil sheet of aluminum is placed in a container filled with water, then the aluminum foil dissolves into the vinegar solution.
The aluminum metal also dissolves in vinegar when it is kept in the vinegar solution and the temperature is increased. Hence, at an elevated temperature too, the vinegar solution is able to dissolve the aluminum element.

Note:
The following dissolution does not take place in case the amount of vinegar is low and the amount of aluminum is high. There are other solutions of acid too which can also be used for the process of dissolving the aluminum into the solution. One such solution is hydrochloric acid which is also known as muriatic acid.