AMMONIUM CHLORIDE

Ammonium chloride
Sample of Ammonium chloride
General
Systematic name	Ammonium chloride
Chemical formula	NH4Cl
Appearance	white crystalline powder
CAS number	[12125-02-9]
Physical
Formula weight	53.4913
Melting point	338°C (640F) sublimes
Boiling point	520°C (968F)
Density	1.527 g/cm³
Crystal structure	Isometric
Solubility in water	29.7g/100g @ 0°C
Critical relative humidity	77.2% @ 30°C
Thermochemistry
ΔfH0gas	kJ/mol
ΔfH0liquid	kJ/mol
ΔfH0solid	-314.55 kJ/mol
S0gas, 1 bar	J/mol·K
S0liquid, 1 bar	J/mol·K
S0solid	94.85 J/mol·K
Safety
Ingestion	Induce vomiting. If victim is conscious and alert, give 2-4 cupfuls of milk or water. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Get medical aid.
Inhalation	Remove from exposure to fresh air immediately. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get medical aid.
Skin	Flush skin with plenty of soap and water for at least 15 minutes while removing contaminated clothing and shoes. Get medical aid if irritation develops or persists. Wash clothing before reuse.
Eyes	Flush eyes with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, occasionally lifting the upper and lower eyelids. Get medical aid immediately.
NFPA 704
More info	Hazardous Chemical Database
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)

'Ammonium chloride' or 'Sal Ammoniac' (chemically ''ammonium chloride'' (NH₄Cl); also ''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 with a biting, slightly sour taste. The aqueous ammonium chloride solution is mildly acidic.
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.
It is easy to produce artificially and is often created as a byproduct of other industries.

Contents

Uses

In history

See also

Uses

Prepared commercially by reacting ammonia, NH₃, with hydrogen chloride, HCl:
::NH₃ + HCl → NH₄Cl
Historically it was considered one of the four alchemical "spirits". While the way that it dissociates into two corrosive materials (ammonia and hydrochloric acid) which attack metals convinced some eager alchemists that it might hold the key to converting one metal to another, Arabs used it as a source of ammonia:
::2NH₄Cl + 2CaO → CaCl₂ + Ca(OH)₂ + 2NH₃
It 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 the active ingredient in many antiperspirants, usually aerosols. 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. [1]
In several countries sal ammoniac is used to spice up liquorice-type dark candies (Finland's ''salmiakki'' and the Netherlands' ''zoute drop'' and the Danish ''Dracula Piller'' are popular examples), and as a flavoring for vodkas.

In history

The modern name "ammonium" comes from ''sal ammoniac''. The substance was known as ''nushadir'' salt (Arabic and Persian: نشادر) in Arabic-speaking countries and Persia, ''naosha'' () in China, ''nao sadar'' in India.

See also

★ Salty licorice candy

★ Salmiakki Koskenkorva