Anhydrous Ammonia
Anhydrous ammonia is the gas or compressed liquid form of ammonia that contains no water. That is, it is an- (meaning without) hydrous (meaning water). It’s made up of one part nitrogen, and three parts hydrogen. It’s an important compound, used in a diluted form in everyday household cleaning, as well as in the industrial cleaning industry. It has several uses in agriculture and the manufacture and synthesis of certain molecules.
Even though anhydrous ammonia is useful, it must be handled with caution. Ammonia can cause physiological damage, and can even ignite into deadly explosions.
Anhydrous Ammonia Uses
How is anhydrous ammonia used? As a liquid, it’s commonly diluted and used as a household cleaner. You may have smelled the sharp odor of ammonia while cleaning your bathroom or kitchen. Anhydrous ammonia is also an important industrial cleaner, where its full strength can eradicate some strains of harmful bacteria and make industrial metal shine.
As a fertilizer, anhydrous ammonia gas is compressed into liquid and mixed with other plant growth enhancers. It can also be applied in gaseous form, where it combines with the moisture in the dirt, resulting in ammonia-enriched fertilizer soil. Even though anhydrous ammonia can be very dangerous, the nitrogen within its chemical structure actually makes the chemical quite healthy for plant growth. Anhydrous ammonia is widely available and easy to apply, making it a good option to boost plant productivity.
Anhydrous ammonia is used in the manufacture of a number of medicines. However, that also makes it a high risk for theft and use in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine, a psychoactive drug also known as meth. Theft of the amount of anhydrous ammonia needed to make methamphetamine usually targets agricultural storage centers, where the ammonia is kept for fertilizer use. Its importance as an intermediate step in the formation of other chemical compounds makes anhydrous ammonia a common presence in pharmaceutical chemistry labs.
Difference between Ammonia and Anhydrous Ammonia
It is designated in chemical notation as NH3. … Household ammonia is a diluted water solution containing 5 to 10 percent ammonia. On the other hand, anhydrous ammonia is essentially pure (over 99 percent) ammonia. “Anhydrous” is a Greek word meaning “without water;” therefore, anhydrous ammonia in ammonia without water.
