Ammonia And Its Salt

USES OF AMMONIA

• To manufactured nitric acid and explosive
• In the making of synthetic fibre and nylon
• As a degreasing agent in aqueousform to remove greasy stains in the kitchen
• In the manufacture of chemical fertilizer

PROPERTIES OF AMMONIA GAS

The physical properties of ammonia gas include the following

• Colourless and pungent odour
• Soluble in water and form weak alkali solution
• Less dense than water 
• Easily liquified   

a)  The   chemical   properties   of   ammonia gas

Ammonia dissolves in water to from weak alkali

NH3  +  H2O                              NH4  +   OH-

b) The presence of hydroxide icon causes the aqueous solution to become alkaline . Aqueous ammonium solution :

• Turns red paper litmus to blue
• React with  acid to from only salt  and water in neutralization reaction 
• React with solution of metallic cations to produce precipitates.    

HARBER PROCESS

1 . Ammonia is manufacture on a large scale in industry through the haber process. In this process, ammonia is formed form direct combination of nitrogen and hydrogen gas inthe volume ratio 1:3

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2.The gas nitrogen obtain form the fractional distillation of liquefied air. The hydrogengas is obtained form the cracking of petroleum or from the catalysed reaction of naturalgas, CH4, with steam 

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3.The mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen gases is passed over an iron catalyst under controlled optimum condition as below to form ammonia gas.

i.Temperature: 450-500°C

ii.Pressure: 200-500 atmospheres

iii.Catalyst used: Iron fillings

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4.Under these control optimum condition, only 15% of the gas mixture turn into ammoniagas. The nitrogen and hydrogen that have not reacted are then flow back over the catalystagain in the reactor chamber

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5.The ammonia product is then cooled at a low temperature so that it condenses into aliquid in the cooling chamber.

AMMONIUM FERTILIZERS

1.Nitrogen is required in large amount by plant to make proteins which are necessaryfor growth and cell repair.

2.Most plant are not able to get a nitrogen supply directly from the air although it isabundant in the air (78%). Plants can only absorb soluble nitrogen compounds fromsoil through their roots.

3.The nitrogen compounds are usually soluble nitric salt, ammonia and ammonia saltwhich are manufacture as chemical fertilizer.

4.Reactions of ammonia with acids produce ammonium fertilizers.

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