The corrosion behaviour of pure alumina, doped with different amounts of MgO, Y2O3, ZrO2, Cr2O3, Co3O4 and BaO, was investigated. Corrosion media were concentrated HCl, HNO3, HF, H2SO4/H3PO4 (1:1 mixture), HCl (1%) and NaOH (10%). The reaction conditions were 180°C (autoclave) for 168 h. The corroded specimens were investigated by SEM, the leaching solutions were analysed with ICP-OES (optical emission spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma). The corrosion resistance was found to depend mainly on the microstructure and the composition of the grain boundary phase. Both parameters are influenced by the type and concentration of the additive, the method by which the sintering aid was added and the sintering conditions.