Ammonium sulfate

Ammonium Sulfate

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Ammonium sulfate

Ammonium sulfate, (NH₄)₂SO₄, is an inorganic chemical compound commonly used as a fertilizer. It contains 21% nitrogen as ammonium ions and 24% sulfur as sulfate ions. Ammonium sulfate occurs naturally as the rare mineral

Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
mascagnite

Mascagnite

Mascagnite is a rare ammonium sulfate mineral 2sulfuroxygen4. It crystalizes in the orthorhombic system typically forming as stalactitic masses exhibiting good cleavage ....
in volcanic fumarole

Fumarole

A fumarole is an opening in Earth's Crust , often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide....
s and due to coal fires on some dumps.

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Ammonium

The ammonium cation is a positively electric charge polyatomic ion of the chemical formula NH4+. It has a formula weight of 18.05 and is formed by protonation of ammonia ....
sulfate

Sulfate

In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid....
is not soluble in alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
or liquid 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 compound is slightly hygroscopic and absorbs water from the air at relative humidity

Relative humidity

Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor that exists in a gaseous mixture of air and water....
> 81% (at ca.

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Encyclopedia

Mineral

Mascagnite

Mascagnite is a rare ammonium sulfate mineral 2sulfuroxygen4. It crystalizes in the orthorhombic system typically forming as stalactitic masses exhibiting good cleavage ....
in volcanic fumarole

Fumarole

Properties

Ammonium

The ammonium cation is a positively electric charge polyatomic ion of the chemical formula NH4+. It has a formula weight of 18.05 and is formed by protonation of ammonia ....
sulfate

Sulfate

In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid....
is not soluble in alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
or liquid ammonia

Ammonia

Relative humidity

Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor that exists in a gaseous mixture of air and water....
> 81% (at ca. 20°C).

Synthesis

Ammonium sulfate 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....
with sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid, hydrogen2sulfuroxygen4, is a strong mineral acid. It is soluble in water at all concentrations. Sulfuric acid has many applications, and is one of the top products of the chemical industry....
(H₂SO₄). Ammonium sulfate is prepared commercially from the ammoniacal liquor of gas-works

Gasification

Gasification is a process that converts carbonaceous materials, such as coal, petroleum, biofuel, or biomass, into carbon monoxide and hydrogen by reacting the raw material at high temperatures with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam....
and is purified by recrystallisation. It forms large rhombic prisms, has a somewhat saline taste and is easily soluble in water.

Uses

It is used largely as an artificial fertilizer

Fertilizer

Fertilizers are chemical compounds given to plants to promote growth; they are usually applied either through the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar feeding, for uptake through leaves....
for alkaline soils. In the soil the sulfate ion is released and forms bisulfate, lowering the pH

pH is a measure of the Acid or Base of a solution. It is defined as the cologarithm of the Activity of dissolved hydrogen ions . Hydrogen ion activity coefficients cannot be measured experimentally, so they are based on theoretical calculations....
balance of the soil

Soil

Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
(as do other sulfate compounds such as aluminium sulfate

Aluminium sulfate

Aluminium sulfate, written as Aluminium23 or Aluminium2OxygenSulfur3 Aluminium sulfate is an industrial chemical used as a Flocculation in the purification of drinking water and waste water treatment plants, and also in paper manufacturing....
), while contributing essential nitrogen

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....
for plant growth.

It is also used as an agricultural spray adjuvant for water soluble insecticide

Insecticide

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects in all developmental forms. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the Egg and larvae of insects respectively....
s, herbicide

Herbicide

A herbicide is used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant hormones....
s, and fungicide

Fungicide

Fungicides are chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungus or fungal spores. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of Crop yield, quality and profit....
s. There it functions to bind iron and calcium cations that are present in both well water and plant cells. It is particularly effective as an adjuvant for 2,4-D (amine), glyphosate, and glufosinate herbicides.

It is also used in the preparation of other ammonium salts.

In biochemistry

Biochemistry

Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry processes in living organisms. It deals with the structure and function of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules....
, ammonium sulfate precipitation

Ammonium sulfate precipitation

Ammonium sulfate precipitation is a method of protein purification by altering solubility of protein. It is a specific case of a more general technique known as salting out....
is a common method for purifying protein

Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
s by precipitation. As such, ammonium sulfate is also listed as an ingredient for many United States vaccines per the Center for Disease Control.

Ammonium sulfate is also a food additive.

Ammonium sulfate

Properties

Synthesis

Uses

Further reading