Ammonia – Formula, Uses, Definition

Ammonia

Ammonia formula is NH3 and its molar mass is 17.03 g/mol. It is a chemical compound made of nitrogen and hydrogen. It is a colourless gas with a very bad pungent smell.

In humans and other aquatic organisms, ammonia is a common nitrogenous waste and it contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers.

Ammonia in Industry

Ammonia is also a building block for the synthesis of many pharmaceutical products sometimes either directly or indirectly and is useful in many commercial cleaning products.

It is collected through a process of downward displacement of both air and water. Its IUPAC names are Ammonia, trihydridonitrogen, nitrogen trihydride, and another name is Hydrogen nitride.

Although common in nature, ammonia is both caustic and hazardous in its concentrated form.

One can find Ammonia in many forms in the market. For example, ammonia is useful for the industrial purpose either as ammonia liquor (usually 28% ammonia in water).

Again ammonia is pressurized or refrigerated as anhydrous liquid and transported in tank cars or cylinders. The boiling point of NH3 is −33.34 °C at a pressure of one atmosphere, so the liquid must be stored under pressure or at low temperature.

Ammonia Formula Structure

The ammonia molecule is trigonal pyramidal in shape. With nitrogen connected to the three hydrogen atoms. It is a base due to the nitrogen atom’s lone electron pair.

NH3 is a polar molecule. One that actively creates hydrogen bonds. Thus, making it highly miscible with water.

Ammonia Formula Properties

Ammonia is an uncoloured gas with a characteristic pungent smell. It is lighter than air. The strong hydrogen bond between the molecules makes it easy to liquify.

Ammonia is found in two forms, solid and liquid.

Solid- Ammonia is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent smell. It freezes at −77.7 °C (−107.86 °F) to white crystals.

Liquid-  It is a heavy liquid having a high vapour pressure at ordinary temperature. Hence it gives freezing sensation when brought into contact with the skin.

We obtain it by compressing anhydrous gaseous ammonia. Thus, it helps in refrigeration and as a solvent.

As a solvent- Ammonia is miscible with water. In an aqueous solution, one can expel it by boiling. The aqueous solution of ammonia is basic.

It is often known as ‘.880 ammonia’ because the maximum concentration of ammonia in water (a saturated solution) has a density of 0.880 g/cm3.

Combustion- The combustion of ammonia into nitrogen and water is exothermic. Usually, ammonia does not burn or sustain combustion, except under narrow fuel-to-air mixtures of 15–25% air.

It burns with a pale yellowish-green flame whenever mixes with oxygen. Ammonia decomposes into its constituent elements in the presence of a suitable catalyst and high temperature. Ignition happens when chlorine assorts with ammonia.

Thus, it creates nitrogen and hydrogen chloride. Similarly, if there is presence of excessive chlorines, then it forms the highly explosive nitrogen trichloride (NCl3)  the highly explosive nitrogen trichloride (NCl3).

Amphotericity- A molecule or ion that can react both as an acid and as a base is an amphoteric compound. One of the distinct properties of ammonia is its basicity.

Ammonia is a weak base. When ammonia mixes with acids it forms salts. Thus, with hydrochloric acid, it forms ammonium chloride (sal ammoniac); with nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, etc.

Uses of Ammonia

1) Fertilizer: Ammonia is useful as a fertilizer globally either in its salts, solutions or its anhydrous form. It usually increases yields of crops such as maize and wheat.

2) Nitrogenous compounds- Virtually we derive all synthetic nitrogen compounds from Ammonia. Nitric acid is an important derivative. We use it for making fertilizers, explosives, and many organonitrogen compounds.

We use the Ostwald process in which oxidation of ammonia with air over a platinum catalyst happens at 700–850 °C to get nitric acid.

3) Other Compounds- Ammonia is also useful in making Hydrogen cyanide, phenol, urea, amino acids, etc.

4) Cleaner- Household ammonia is a solution of NH3 in water, and is useful as a general purpose cleaner for many surfaces.

As ammonia is a relatively streak-free shine, one of its most common uses is to clean glass, porcelain and stainless steel. It also helps in cleaning ovens.

5) Fermentation- Fermentation industry uses solutions of ammonia (ranging from 16% to 25%) as a source of nitrogen for microorganisms and to adjust pH during fermentation.

6) Antimicrobial agent- Anhydrous ammonia is currently in use commercially to reduce or eliminate microbial contamination of beef.

7) Textile- Ammoniacal Liquor is useful for the treatment of cotton materials, giving properties like mercerisation, using alkalis.

Question for you

Q. 1. Who invented ammonia?

Ans- Fritz Haber was a chemist from Germany. He got the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918.  It was for his innovation of the Haber–Bosch process.

It is a method that is in use in industry to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas.