Action of hydrochloric acid on aluminum hydroxide-magnesium hydroxide gels and magaldrate: quasi-elastic light scattering studies.

The effects of hydrochloric acid on mixed gels of aluminum and magnesium hydroxide and on magaldrate have been examined using quasi-elastic light scattering. Particles of magaldrate and mixed gels behave differently. The magaldrate particles initially decrease in size in response to increasing amounts of hydrochloric acid up to that sufficient to neutralize all the magnesium hydroxide present, then increase in size to approximately 2 microns. The composition of the mixed gels appears to be particularly important in determining the reaction with limited amounts of acid. For these particles, which are thought to consist of a magnesium hydroxide core surrounded by an aluminum hydroxide sheath, slow erosion of the aluminum hydroxide was apparently followed by complete disintegration of the particles. Particles which remain grow in size to approximately 3 microns.