Aluminium Chloride Hexahydrate: Hydroxide in Strong Hydrochloric Acid, Ether Added, Saturated with Hydrogen Chloride (Thorpe 1912)

Aluminium chloride dissolves easily in water, so it is hard to crystallise from it. Thorpe's way: dissolve the hydroxide in the acid, add ether, saturate it with hydrogen chloride gas, and the hydrated chloride comes down as white crystals. Result: a white crystalline precipitate of AlCl3·6H2O. Source: Thorpe, Dictionary of Applied Chemistry, vol. 1 (1912), Analysis (the aluminium test). Not given: amounts, how it is cooled, how the crystals are dried. Danger: strong hydrochloric acid and hydrogen chloride gas burn, and ether catches fire easily: no flame anywhere near. Picture drawn by Youblob.