Aluminum chlorohydrate I: Structure studies.

X-ray diffraction and IR and 27AI-NMR spectroscopy indicate that aluminum chlorohydrate is composed of a central aluminum in a tetrahedral configuration surrounded by 12 aluminum atoms in octahedral configuration. The complex, AI13O4(OH)24(H2O)7+12, is essentially spherical, with the +7 charge equally distributed on the surface. Seven chloride ions are associated with the complex as counterions. This structure is consistent with both the method of synthesis and the proposed mechanism of antiperspirant activity.