Alum
Alum /ˈælum/ is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate (potassium alum) with the formula KAl(SO4)2·12H2O. More widely, alums are double sulfate salts, with the general formula AM(SO4)2·12H2O, where A is a monovalent cation such as potassium or ammonium and M is a trivalent metal ion such as aluminium or chromium(III). When the trivalent ion is aluminium, the alum is named after the monovalent ion.