Science Form 4 – Usage of Ammonia

Posted on December 14 2009 by


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Some information about the usage of ammonia. Look at the table below and try to understand the application of ammonia in daily life

INDUSTRY USAGE
Fertilser production of:

  • ammonium sulfate, (NH4)2SO4
  • ammonium phosphate, (NH4)3PO4
  • ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3
  • urea, (NH2)2CO,also used in the production of barbiturates (sedatives), is made by the reaction of ammonia with carbon dioxide
CO2
carbon dioxide		 + 2NH3
ammonia		 H2NCOONH4
ammonium carbonate		 heat, pressure
 (NH2)2CO
urea
Chemicals synthesis of:

  • nitric acid, HNO3, which is used in making explosives such as TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), nitroglycerine which is also used as a vasodilator (a substance that dilates blood vessels) and PETN (pentaerythritol nitrate).
  • sodium hydrogen carbonate (sodium bicarbonate), NaHCO3
  • sodium carbonate, Na2CO3
  • hydrogen cyanide (hydrocyanic acid), HCN
  • hydrazine, N2H4 (used in rocket propulsion systems)
Explosives ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3
Fibres and Plastics nylon, -[(CH2)4-CO-NH-(CH2)6-NH-CO]-,and other polyamides
Refrigeration used for making ice, large scale refrigeration plants, air-conditioning units in buildings and plants
Pharmaceuticals used in the manufacture of drugs such as sulfonamide which inhibit the growth and multiplication of bacteria that require p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) for the biosynthesis of folic acids, anti-malarials and vitamins such as the B vitamins nicotinamide (niacinamide) and thiamine.
Pulp and Paper ammonium hydrogen sulfite, NH4HSO3, enables some hardwoods to be used
Mining and Metallurgy used in nitriding (bright annealing) steel,
used in zinc and nickel extraction
Cleaning ammonia in solution is used as a cleaning agent such as in ‘cloudy ammonia’

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