Ammonium Chloride

About Ammonium Chloride

Ammonium chloride is an inorganic salt consist of white crystals that exhibit high solubility in water. It is generally used as a buffer solution in different kind of chemical processes to adjust the pH level of reactions. The main application of ammonium chloride is in the production of fertilizers due to its high nitrogen content so that it accounts for 90% of ammonium chloride’s global sale.

In electronics and metallurgy, during coating, galvanizing and soldering a metal, ammonium chloride act as a flux to clean the surface of the metal through reaction with the metal oxides and convert them to a volatile form.

In the pharmaceutical field, since ammonium chloride shows expectorant properties it is used in anti-cough formulations. It affects bronchial mucosa to produce extra mucus fluid for more facilitated coughing.

As a food additive, it is a suitable yeast nutrient and acidifier in bread making. It is also a constant part of feed supplement for livestock and culture media for microorganisms.

In medicine ammonium chloride has indication in patients with severe metabolic alkalosis due to its acidifying capacity. It is also used in diagnostic tests for distal renal tubular acidosis and in maintain urine acidity to treat certain urinary-tract diseases.

Other fields of application include in paleontology and archaeology for better photography of specimens, as an electrolyte in zinc–carbon batteries, as a thickening agent in hair shampoo, in the glue that bonds plywood, in cleaning products, in the textile and leather industry, in dyeing, tanning, textile printing and cotton clustering.