Ammonia is one of the most important commodity chemicals produced in the world and due to this, it is manufactured in very large quantities.

What is Ammonia?

Ammonia is a gas that is colourless and has a pungent smell. The melting point of ammonia is  -77.73⁰ C and the boiling point of ammonia is -33.34⁰ C. Dipole moment of ammonia is 1.42 D. Ammonia consists of Nitrogen and hydrogen atoms. The other names of ammonia are azane and hydrogen nitride. 

Ammonia is the polar compound as there is a large electronegativity difference between hydrogen and nitrogen that concludes in a net dipole moment not equal to zero which makes the compound polar and it also possesses an asymmetric shape i.e trigonal pyramidal shape which causes the ammonia molecule to be polar. 

Chemical Formula and Molar Mass of Ammonia

Ammonia possesses a trigonal pyramidal shape with lone pair on the nitrogen atom. Ammonia consists of one nitrogen atom that is attached to three hydrogen atoms by a single bond. The conjugate acid of ammonia is ammonium.  The chemical formula of ammonia is NH3. The molar mass of ammonia is the sum of the atomic mass of nitrogen i.e 14 and the atomic mass of three hydrogen atoms i.e 1×3 which comes out to be 17 grams per mole.

How is Ammonia Prepared?

Ammonia is a colourless pungent-smelling gas that was originally produced as a by-product of the destructive distillation of coal while producing coke and coal (gas). Nowadays, ammonia is prepared synthetically. The processes are based on the Haber-Bosch Process for manufacturing Ammonia. In this, hydrogen and nitrogen are combined under high temperatures and pressures in the presence of a catalyst. Ammonia is also formed during the coal gasification process of the oil from coal. In this, ammonia obtained from the gas liquor is of very pure form.

Uses of Ammonia

Following are the applications that ammonia is put into:-

• Ammonia is used for various purposes like as fertiliser, in leather, rubber, beverages, and in the food industry. 

• Ammonia is also used in the process of fermentation.

• It is also used in the preparation of liquid fertilisers like urea, ammonium carbonate, hydrogen cyanide, phenol, amino acid, etc.

• It is used as a cleaning agent and can be used to remove stains and to clean utensils, mirrors,  windows, washbasins, etc. 

• Other uses include antiseptic, antimicrobial agents, and ammonia can also be used as a fuel.