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Ammonium chloride

 
Ammonium Chloride

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Ammonium chloride



 
 
Ammonium chloride (N
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
H
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
4Cl
Chlorine

Chlorine...
) (also Sal Ammoniac, salmiac, nushadir salt, sal armagnac, sal armoniac, salt armoniack) is, in its pure form, a clear white water-soluble crystalline salt
Salt

A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
 of ammonia
Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the chemical formula nitrogenhydrogen. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor....
. The aqueous ammonium chloride solution is mildly acidic. Sal ammoniac
Sal ammoniac

Sal ammoniac is a rare mineral composed of ammonium chloride, NH4Cl. It forms colorless to white to yellow-brown crystals in the Cubic class....
 is a name of natural, mineralogical form of ammonium chloride. The mineral is especially common on burning coal dumps (formed by condensation of coal-derived gases), but also on some volcanoes.

substance occurs naturally in volcanic
Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
 regions, forming on volcanic rocks near fume-releasing vents.






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Ammonium chloride (N
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
H
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
4Cl
Chlorine

Chlorine...
) (also Sal Ammoniac, salmiac, nushadir salt, sal armagnac, sal armoniac, salt armoniack) is, in its pure form, a clear white water-soluble crystalline salt
Salt

A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
 of ammonia
Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the chemical formula nitrogenhydrogen. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor....
. The aqueous ammonium chloride solution is mildly acidic. Sal ammoniac
Sal ammoniac

Sal ammoniac is a rare mineral composed of ammonium chloride, NH4Cl. It forms colorless to white to yellow-brown crystals in the Cubic class....
 is a name of natural, mineralogical form of ammonium chloride. The mineral is especially common on burning coal dumps (formed by condensation of coal-derived gases), but also on some volcanoes.

Sources

The substance occurs naturally in volcanic
Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
 regions, forming on volcanic rocks near fume-releasing vents. The crystals deposit directly from the gaseous state, and tend to be short-lived, as they dissolve easily in water. It is a by-product of the Solvay process used to produce sodium carbonate.

Ammonium chloride is prepared commercially by reacting ammonia
Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the chemical formula nitrogenhydrogen. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor....
 (NH3) with hydrogen chloride
Hydrogen chloride

The Chemical compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula HydrogenChlorine. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric humidity....
 (HCl), as it is corrosive this process has to be performed in vessels lined with nonreactive materials e.g. glass, enamel, lead, or PVC:

NH3 + HCl ? NH4Cl

Reactions

Ammonium chloride sublimes readily but this process involves dissociation into ammonia
Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the chemical formula nitrogenhydrogen. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor....
 and hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid

Hydrochloric acid is the solution of hydrogen chloride in water. It is a highly corrosive, strong acid mineral acid and has major industrial uses....
 followed by reforming of the compound.
NH4Cl ? NH3 + HCl


Applications

Ammonium chloride is sold in blocks at hardware stores for use in cleaning the tip of a soldering iron
Soldering iron

A soldering iron is a "device" for applying heat to melt solder for attaching two metal parts.A soldering iron is composed of a heated metal tip and an insulated handle....
 and can also be included in solder
Solder

A solder is a fusible alloy metal alloy with a melting point or melting range of 90 to 450 ?Celsius , used in a process called soldering where it is melted to join metallic surfaces....
 as flux
Flux (metallurgy)

In metallurgy, a flux is a chemical cleaning agent which facilitates soldering, brazing, and welding by removing oxidation from the metals to be joined....
.

Other uses include a feed supplement for cattle, in hair shampoo
Shampoo

Shampoo is a hair care product used for the removal of sebum, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair....
, in textile
Textile

A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by Spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands known as yarn....
 printing, in the glue that bonds plywood
Plywood

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, as an ingredient in nutritive media for yeast
Yeast

Yeasts are eukaryote microorganisms classified in the Kingdom fungus, with about 1,500 species currently described; they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans....
, in cleaning products, and as cough medicine
Cough medicine

A cough medicine is a medicinal medication used to treat coughing and related conditions. Dry coughs are treated with cough suppressants that suppress the body's urge to cough, while productive coughs are treated with expectorants that loosen mucus from the respiratory tract....
. Its expectorant action is caused by irritative action on the bronchial mucosa. This causes the production of excess respiratory tract fluid which presumably is easier to cough up. It is also used in an oral acid loading test to diagnose distal renal tubular acidosis
Renal tubular acidosis

Renal tubular acidosis is a medical condition that involves an accumulation of acid in the body due to a failure of the kidneys to appropriately wiktionary:acidify the urine....
.

Ammonium chloride is used in snow
Snow

Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. The process of this precipitation is called snowfall....
 treatment, namely on ski slopes at temperatures above 0 °C, to harden the snow and slow its melting.

In several countries sal ammoniac is used to spice up liquorice
Liquorice

Liquorice or licorice is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra , from which a sweet flavour can be extracted. The liquorice plant is a legume , related to Anise, Star Anise and Fennel and native to southern Europe and parts of Asia....
-type dark candies
Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added....
 (Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
's salmiakki
Salmiakki

Salty liquorice or salmiak is a variety of liquorice that contains a relatively large amount of ammonium chloride in addition to the licorice root extract, sugar, and starch or gum arabic that constitute normal liquorice....
, Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
's lakrisal
Lakrisal

Lakrisal is a brand of salty liquorice sold in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands.Unlike most salty liquorice candies, Lakrisal does not contain any starch or gum arabic....
, the Netherlands' zoute drop
Salmiakki

Salty liquorice or salmiak is a variety of liquorice that contains a relatively large amount of ammonium chloride in addition to the licorice root extract, sugar, and starch or gum arabic that constitute normal liquorice....
 and the Danish Dracula Piller
Dracula Piller

Dracula Piller are a brand of salmiakki confectionery. They are very popular in Denmark and Finland.Dracula Piller are hard, roughly disc-shaped candies, with a salmiakki flavour....
 are popular examples), and as a flavoring for vodka
Vodka

Vodka is a distilled beverage. It is a clear liquid which consists of mostly water and ethanol purified by distillation ? often multiple distillation ? from a Fermentation substance, such as cereal , potatoes or sugar beet molasses, and an insignificant amount of other substances such as flavorings or unintended impurities....
s.

Ammonium chloride is used as an expectorant, it is also used for contact explosives, diuretic and systemic acidifying agent. It is used in the treatment of severe metabolic alkalosis, to maintain the urine at an acid pH in the treatment of some urinary-tract disorders or in forced acid diuresis
Forced diuresis

Forced diuresis may enhance the excretion of certain drugs in urine and is used to treat drug overdose or poisoning of these drugs and hemorrhagic cystitis....
.

Ammonium salts are an irritant to the gastric mucosa and may induce nausea and vomiting.

Biological applications include using it as an energy source for microbiological growth of organisms.

The zero point of Fahrenheit is determined by placing the thermometer in a mixture of ice, water, and ammonium chloride.

There is a good write-up on Ammonium Chloride including specifications, MSDS, applications etc. of commercial, pharmaceutical and pure grades on

See also

  • Salty liquorice
  • Salmiakki Koskenkorva
    Salmiakki Koskenkorva

    Salmiakki Koskenkorva, is a pre-mixed vodka cocktail which caused a minor revolution in drinking culture in Finland during the 1990s. Today, Salmiakkikossu is the number one drink amongst locals and tourism in many pubs and nightclubs in Finland....