“ THE WONDERS OF AMMONIA”

Ammonia is an industrial chemical used in agriculture and industry. Ammonia occurs naturally and is produced by human activity. It is an important source of nitrogen which is needed by plants and animals. Bacteria found in the intestines also can produce ammonia!!! Interesting isn’t it?

Ammonia is a colourless gas with a very distinct odour. This odour is familiar to many people because ammonia is used in smelling salts, many household and industrial cleaners, and window-cleaning products. Ammonia gas also can be dissolved in water. This kind of ammonia is called liquid ammonia or aqueous ammonia. Those ammonia exposed to the air, will quickly turn into gas. Ammonia does not last very long in the environment. It is rapidly taken up by plants, bacteria, and animals. Ammonia also does not build up in the food chain, but serves as a nutrient for plants and bacteria. Ammonia is generally processed into a variety of fertilizer products before being applied to the soil. These products include urea, ammonium nitrates, ammonium sulphate and ammonium phosphates. Urea plants are integrated with ammonia production as they require the carbon dioxide by-product from ammonia units. Ammonia also has a number of industrial end uses. Ammonium nitrate is used to make explosives while the medical grade is decomposed to nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Ammonium bicarbonate has applications in baking powder formulations, in fire extinguishers and as a blowing agent in the manufacture of polymers. Other uses for ammonia include as a cleaning and bleaching agent, and as a household cleaner. It is also used as a preharvest cotton defoliant and in metal treating operations. Ammonia also keeps away moths as the smell of ammonia is not pleasant. Well, that’s not it. There are other uses of ammonia that many people don’t really know

Ammonia actually provides the cheapest way to clean and make crystals and jewellery sparkle. The fact is, by using ammonia , we can actually polish crystals and clean gold and silver jewellery. This can be done by just soaking the jewellery and crystals for five to ten minutes. Not only that, ammonia can also repel garbage odour. How versatile is Ammonia? As a healing element? Ammonia heals venom bites by attacking the protein particles on the surface of the bite. Well, that is something that most of us don’t really know.

To wrap up , ammonia is not only used in fertilizers ,but it is used as a multipurpose compound that contributes to the benefit of mankind.