Difference Between Ammonia and Ammonium Hydroxide

Ammonia vs ammonium hydroxide

Ammonia and ammonium hydroxide is widely used in fertilizers, nutritional needs for terrestrial organisms, pharmaceuticals, and even in commercial cleaning products. Sometimes these chemical elements may tend to get dangerous still they have massive sales all over the world. Somehow these chemical compounds are still beneficial in terms of use for our daily necessities. However, these two chemical compounds have so many differences that need to be tackled. The elements involved in each compounds are different. Even the uses of each chemical are different. Their formulations are also different. It is best for you to know the difference between these two through defining and differentiating them.

First is ammonia. It is a colorless gas that smells pungent. It is a combination of the elements nitrogen and hydrogen and their formula is NH3. It helps terrestrial organisms by supplying them their needs of food and fertilizers. When it comes to pharmaceuticals, ammonia is also a significant factor as a building block. Even though it may tend to be hazardous when use in massive amounts. About 146.5 million tons were used worldwide in commercial cleaning products during 2006. Anhydrous ammonia is the term coined for commercially used ammonia. This term indicates that this type of ammonia does not have any water in the formula. This is one of the differences of ammonia and ammonium hydroxide. Ammonium hydroxide is household ammonia in water. One of their major differences is that ammonia does not have water content while ammonium hydroxide has water.

Ammonium hydroxide has water that is why the other terms for it is ammonia with water, ammonia liquor etc. This means ammonium hydroxide is an ammonia solution with water content. It only has a small amount of ammonia and its formula is NH3 (aq). Ammonium hydroxide is used for different kinds of cleaning agents. For example, it is used as ingredient for window cleaners. It can be used as ingredient for cleaning agents or it can be used as itself as a cleaning agent as well. If it is used as a cleaning agent as it is, it is called ‘ammonia’. IT comes in yellow with the scent of lemon or it can be in green with the scent of pine. Ammonium hydroxide is also widely used in the meat industry. There are companies that enhance their beef process with a certain pH, which turns into ammonium hydroxide when the product is done.

These are some of the differences of ammonia and ammonium hydroxide. This is also the definition and the formula for each. With these you can have a deeper knowledge of the two compound elements.

SUMMARY

1.

Their formula differs, ammonia is NH3 while ammonium hydroxide is NH3 (aq).
2.

Ammonium hydroxide has water while the ammonia doesn’t.
3.

Ammonia is used for terrestrial organisms; while ammonium hydroxide is widely used as a cleaning agent (ammonia is also used for cleaning agents as well).
4.

Ammonium hydroxide is basically ammonia with water.

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