Final answer:
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction of acetic acid with aluminum hydroxide to create water and aluminum acetate is 3 CH3COOH (aq) + Al(OH)3 (s) → Al(CH3COO)3 (aq) + 3 H2O (l).
Step-by-step explanation:
To write the balanced equation for the reaction of acetic acid with aluminum hydroxide to form water and aluminum acetate, we must account for the fact that acetic acid is a weak acid and aluminum hydroxide is amphoteric. The reaction is a double displacement reaction where the aluminum cation and the acetate anion from acetic acid swap places. The balanced equation for this reaction is:
3 CH3COOH (aq) + Al(OH)3 (s) → Al(CH3COO)3 (aq) + 3 H2O (l)
Here, three molecules of acetic acid react with one molecule of aluminum hydroxide to produce one molecule of aluminum acetate and three molecules of water.