Is Aluminium Oxide Al2O3 Amphoteric?

Answer :- Amphoteric oxides can be explained as those oxides of elements that can exhibit both basic and acidic behaviour in various reactions. Thus, according to this, it can be inferred that Al2O3 is amphoteric in nature. For example, to understand both the acidic and basic nature of Al2O3, the following chemical equations are given respectively –

1. Al2O3 + 2NaOH + 3H2O → 2NaAl (OH)4 
2. 6HCl +Al2O3 → 2AlCl3 + 3H2O

Thus, from the first equation, the acidic nature of Al2O3 can be observed whereas from the second equation basic nature of Al2O3 can be observed implying its amphoteric nature.