IC Ammonia © Oxford University Press 2011 Ammonia

IC Ammonia © Oxford University Press 2011  Ammonia is a gas with a sharp smell.  Like metal hydroxides, it dissolves in water to produce an alkaline solution.  The formula of ammonia is NH 3.

IC Ammonia © Oxford University Press 2011 In water, it forms hydroxide ions like this: ammonia(g) + water(l) ↓ NH 3 (g) + H 2 O(l) ↓ ammonium hydroxide(aq) NH 4 OH(aq)

IC Ammonia © Oxford University Press 2011  When dissolved in water, the ammonium and hydroxide ions are separated and surrounded by water molecules.  So ammonium hydroxide solution contains NH 4 + (aq) ions and OH – (aq) ions.  The OH – (aq) ions make the solution alkaline.

IC Ammonia © Oxford University Press 2011 It is often used in cleaning fluids because it reacts with grease, making this easier to remove. It has other uses too, including making nitric acid and fertilisers.