ammonia

Also known as azane, hydrogen nitride, nitrogen hydride, ammine, volatile alkali, anhydrous ammonia, ammonia gas

OverviewAI-generated

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the formula NH₃, also known by the IUPAC name azane. It has a molecular weight of 17.031 and a standard enthalpy of formation of -45.94. The substance possesses a canonical SMILES string of "N" and an InChIKey of QGZKDVFQNNGYKY-UHFFFAOYSA-N. Its electric dipole moment is 1.471, and it has a topological polar surface area of 1.

Ammonia melts at -108 and -77.74, and boils at -28, -33.4, and -33.33. It has a density of 0.7625 and a speed of sound of 415. The vapor pressure is 8.5, and its solubility is 34. It is flammable with a lower limit of 15 and an upper limit of 28, with an autoignition temperature of 651. The pKa is 9.21, and the ionization energy is 10.18.

Exposure limits include a time-weighted average and short-term limit of 50, with an immediately dangerous to life or health level of 300. The minimal lethal dose is 132. The NIOSH Pocket Guide ID is "0028". In literature, there are 85,683 PubMed entries for ammonia, and it is referenced by 3,726 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 36 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, PubChem, PubMed, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Chemical data

Formula: H3N
Molecular weight: 17.031 g/mol
IUPAC name: azane
SMILES: N
InChIKey: QGZKDVFQNNGYKY-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: -0.7
Polar surface area: 1 Å²
H-bond donors: 1
H-bond acceptors: 1
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

85,683 papers

Ammonia in liver diseases: A glimpse into the controversies and consensus.ReviewArab journal of gastroenterology : the official publication of the Pan-Arab Association of Gastroenterology · 2024Sarin Zacharia G, Jacob ADOI: 10.1016/j.ajg.2024.07.016
Ammonia Measurement in the IVC Microenvironment.ReviewJournal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS · 2019Morrow RB, Wiler RJDOI: 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-18-000006
Serum Ammonia in Cirrhosis: Clinical Impact of Hyperammonemia, Utility of Testing, and National Testing Trends.ReviewClinical therapeutics · 2022Deutsch-Link S, Moon AM, Jiang Y et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2022.01.008
Ammonia toxicity in fish.ReviewMarine pollution bulletin · 2002Randall DJ, Tsui TKDOI: 10.1016/s0025-326x(02)00227-8
Ammonia and aquatic ecosystems - A review of global sources, biogeochemical cycling, and effects on fish.ReviewThe Science of the total environment · 2024Edwards TM, Puglis HJ, Kent DB et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167911
Symbiotic Ammonia Oxidation in the Marine Environment.ReviewAnnual review of marine science · 2026Thomas T, Garritano ANDOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-040824-032008
Ammonia transport by terrestrial and aquatic insects.ReviewJournal of insect physiology · 2012Weihrauch D, Donini A, O'Donnell MJDOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.11.005
Ammonia metabolism in exercise and fatigue: a review.ReviewMedicine and science in sports and exercise · 1983Mutch BJ, Banister EW

via PubMed

~54 min read

Encyclopedic overview

61 sections

Contents

Etymology
Natural occurrence (abiological)
Atmospheric occurrence
Reactions of atmospheric ammonia
Properties
Solid
Liquid
Solvent properties <span class="anchor" id="Solvent"></span>
Redox properties of liquid ammonia
Structure
Basicity
Self-dissociation
Combustion
Precursor to organonitrogen compounds
Precursor to inorganic nitrogenous compounds
Reactions relevant to ammonia detection
History
Applications
Fertilizer
Refrigeration–R717
Antimicrobial agent for food products
Fuel
Ships and maritime transport
Vehicles, aviation and space
Power stations
Other
Remediation of gaseous emissions
Stimulant
Textile
Lifting gas
Fuming
Cleaning agent
Safety
Toxicity
Coking wastewater
Aquaculture
Storage information
Laboratory
Laboratory use of anhydrous ammonia (gas or liquid)
Production
Haber–Bosch
Electrochemical
Biochemistry and medicine
Biosynthesis
Physiology
Excretion
Extraterrestrial occurrence
Interstellar space
Interstellar formation mechanisms
Interstellar destruction mechanisms
Single antenna detections
Interferometric studies
Infrared detections
Observations of nearby dark clouds
UC HII regions
Extragalactic detection
See also
References
Works cited
Further reading
External links

Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pungent smell. It is widely used in fertilizers, refrigerants, explosives, cleaning agents, and is a precursor for numerous chemicals. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous waste, and it contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to fertilisers. Around 70% of ammonia produced industrially is used to make fertilisers in various forms and composition, such as urea and diammonium phosphate. Ammonia in pure form is also applied directly into the soil.

Ammonia, either directly or indirectly, is also a building block for the synthesis of many chemicals. In many countries, it is classified as an extremely hazardous substance. Ammonia is toxic, causing damage to cells and tissues. For this reason it is excreted by most animals in the urine, in the form of dissolved urea.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “ammonia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.