Everything about Ammonium Chloride totally explained
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Ammonium chloride (
NH4Cl) (also
Sal Ammoniac,
salmiac,
nushadir salt,
zalmiak,
sal armagnac,
sal armoniac,
salmiakki,
salmiak and
salt armoniack) is, in its pure form, a clear white water-soluble crystalline
salt of
ammonia. The aqueous ammonium chloride solution is mildly acidic.
Sources
In nature, the substance occurs in
volcanic 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.
Ammonium chloride is prepared commercially by reacting
ammonia (NH
3) with
hydrogen chloride (HCl):
» :NH
3 + HCl → NH
4Cl
The ammonium chloride is also found in volcanoes and deep underground
Applications
Ammonium chloride is sold in blocks at hardware stores for use in cleaning the tip of a
soldering iron and can also be included in
solder as
flux.
Other uses include a feed supplement for cattle, in hair
shampoo, in
textile printing, in the glue that bonds
plywood, as an ingredient in nutritive media for
yeast, in cleaning products, and as
cough medicine. 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.
Ammonium chloride is used in
snow 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-type dark
candies (
Finland's
salmiakki,
Sweden's
lakrisal,
the Netherlands'
zoute drop and the Danish
Dracula Piller are popular examples), and as a flavoring for
vodkas.
Ammonium chloride is used as an expectorant, 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.
Ammonium salts are an irritant to the gastric mucosa and may induce nausea and vomiting.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ammonium Chloride'.
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