Ammonium sulfate

Last updated
Ammonium sulfate
Ammonium sulfate.png
Ammonium-sulfate-3D-balls.png
Names
IUPAC name
Ammonium sulfate
Other names
  • Ammonium sulphate
  • Ammonium sulfate (2:1)
  • Diammonium sulfate
  • Sulfuric acid diammonium salt
  • Mascagnite
  • Actamaster
  • Dolamin
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.029.076 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
EC Number
  • 231-984-1
E number E517 (acidity regulators, ...)
KEGG
PubChem CID
UNII
  • InChI=1S/2H3N.H2O4S/c;;1-5(2,3)4/h2*1H3;(H2,1,2,3,4) Yes check.svgY
    Key: BFNBIHQBYMNNAN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • InChI=1/2H3N.H2O4S/c;;1-5(2,3)4/h2*1H3;(H2,1,2,3,4)
    Key: BFNBIHQBYMNNAN-UHFFFAOYAI
  • O=S(=O)(O)O.N.N
Properties
(NH4)2SO4
Molar mass 132.14 g/mol
AppearanceFine white hygroscopic granules or crystals
Density 1.77 g/cm3
Melting point 235 to 280 °C (455 to 536 °F; 508 to 553 K) (decomposes)
70.6 g per 100 g water (0 °C)
74.4 g per 100 g water (20 °C)
103.8 g per 100 g water (100 °C) [1]
Solubility Insoluble in acetone, alcohol and ether
−67.0×10−6 cm3/mol
79.2% (30 °C)
Structure
orthorhombic
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS-pictogram-exclam.svg GHS-pictogram-pollu.svg
Warning
H315, H319, H335
P261, P264, P270, P271, P273, P280, P301+P312, P302+P352, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P312, P321, P330, P332+P313, P337+P313, P362, P391, P403+P233, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704.svgHealth 2: Intense or continued but not chronic exposure could cause temporary incapacitation or possible residual injury. E.g. chloroformFlammability 1: Must be pre-heated before ignition can occur. Flash point over 93 °C (200 °F). E.g. canola oilInstability 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogenSpecial hazards (white): no code
2
1
0
Flash point Non-flammable
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
2840 mg/kg, rat (oral)
Related compounds
Other anions
Ammonium thiosulfate
Ammonium sulfite
Ammonium bisulfate
Ammonium persulfate
Other cations
Sodium sulfate
Potassium sulfate
Related compounds
 Ammonium iron(II) sulfate
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Yes check.svgY  verify  (what is  Yes check.svgYX mark.svgN ?)

Ammonium sulfate (American English and international scientific usage; ammonium sulphate in British English); (NH4)2SO4, is an inorganic salt with a number of commercial uses. The most common use is as a soil fertilizer. It contains 21% nitrogen and 24% sulfur.

Contents

Uses

Agriculture

The primary use of ammonium sulfate is as a fertilizer for alkaline soils. In the soil, the ammonium ion is released and forms a small amount of acid, lowering the pH balance of the soil, while contributing essential nitrogen for plant growth. One disadvantage to the use of ammonium sulfate is its low nitrogen content relative to ammonium nitrate, which elevates transportation costs. [2]

It is also used as an agricultural spray adjuvant for water-soluble insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. There, it functions to bind iron and calcium cations that are present in both well water and plant cells. It is particularly effective as an adjuvant for 2,4-D (amine), glyphosate, and glufosinate herbicides.

Laboratory use

Ammonium sulfate precipitation is a common method for protein purification by precipitation. As the ionic strength of a solution increases, the solubility of proteins in that solution decreases. Being extremely soluble in water, ammonium sulfate can "salt out" (precipitate) proteins from aqueous solutions. [3] [4] Precipitation by ammonium sulfate is a result of a reduction in solubility rather than protein denaturation, thus the precipitated protein can be resolubilized through the use of standard buffers. [5] Ammonium sulfate precipitation provides a convenient and simple means to fractionate complex protein mixtures. [6]

In the analysis of rubber lattices, volatile fatty acids are analyzed by precipitating rubber with a 35% ammonium sulfate solution, which leaves a clear liquid from which volatile fatty acids are regenerated with sulfuric acid and then distilled with steam. Selective precipitation with ammonium sulfate, opposite to the usual precipitation technique which uses acetic acid, does not interfere with the determination of volatile fatty acids. [7]

Food additive

As a food additive, ammonium sulfate is considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, [8] and in the European Union it is designated by the E number E517. It is used as an acidity regulator in flours and breads. [9] [10] [11]

Other uses

Ammonium sulfate is a precursor to other ammonium salts, especially ammonium persulfate.

Ammonium sulfate is listed as an ingredient for many United States vaccines per the Centers for Disease Control. [12]

Ammonium sulfate has also been used in flame retardant compositions acting much like diammonium phosphate. As a flame retardant, it increases the combustion temperature of the material, decreases maximum weight loss rates, and causes an increase in the production of residue or char. [13]

Preparation

Ammonium sulfate is made by treating ammonia with sulfuric acid:

2 NH3 + H2SO4 → (NH4)2SO4

A mixture of ammonia gas and water vapor is introduced into a reactor that contains a saturated solution of ammonium sulfate and about 2% to 4% of free sulfuric acid at 60 °C. Concentrated sulfuric acid is added to keep the solution acidic, and to retain its level of free acid. The heat of reaction keeps reactor temperature at 60 °C. Dry, powdered ammonium sulfate may be formed by spraying sulfuric acid into a reaction chamber filled with ammonia gas. The heat of reaction evaporates all water present in the system, forming a powdery salt. Approximately 6,000 million tons were produced in 1981. [2]

Ammonium sulfate also is manufactured from gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O). Finely divided gypsum is added to an ammonium carbonate solution. Calcium carbonate precipitates as a solid, leaving ammonium sulfate in the solution.

(NH4)2CO3 + CaSO4 → (NH4)2SO4 + CaCO3

Ammonium sulfate occurs naturally as the rare mineral mascagnite in volcanic fumaroles and due to coal fires on some dumps. [14]

Ammonium sulfate is a byproduct in the production of methyl methacrylate. [15]

Properties

Ammonium sulfate becomes ferroelectric at temperatures below –49.5 °C. At room temperature it crystallises in the orthorhombic system, with cell sizes of a = 7.729 Å, b = 10.560 Å, c = 5.951 Å. When chilled into the ferrorelectric state, the symmetry of the crystal changes to space group Pna21. [16]

Reactions

Ammonium sulfate decomposes upon heating above 250 °C (482 °F), first forming ammonium bisulfate. Heating at higher temperatures results in decomposition into ammonia, nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and water. [17]

As a salt of a strong acid (H2SO4) and weak base (NH3), its solution is acidic; the pH of 0.1 M solution is 5.5. In aqueous solution the reactions are those of NH+
4 and SO2−
4 ions. For example, addition of barium chloride, precipitates out barium sulfate. The filtrate on evaporation yields ammonium chloride.

Ammonium sulfate forms many double salts (ammonium metal sulfates) when its solution is mixed with equimolar solutions of metal sulfates and the solution is slowly evaporated. With trivalent metal ions, alums such as ferric ammonium sulfate are formed. Double metal sulfates include ammonium cobaltous sulfate, ferrous diammonium sulfate, ammonium nickel sulfate which are known as Tutton's salts and ammonium ceric sulfate. [2] Anhydrous double sulfates of ammonium also occur in the Langbeinites family. The ammonia produced has a pungent smell and is toxic.

Airborne particles of evaporated ammonium sulfate comprise approximately 30% of fine particulate pollution worldwide. [18]

It reacts with additional sulfuric acid to give triammonium hydrogen disulphate,, (NH4)3H(SO4)2. [19]

Legislation and control

In November 2009, a ban on ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate fertilizers was imposed in the former Malakand Division—comprising the Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Swat, Chitral and Malakand districts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan, by the NWFP government, following reports that they were used by militants to make explosives. In January 2010, these substances were also banned in Afghanistan for the same reason. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

Urea, also called carbamide, is an organic compound with chemical formula CO(NH2)2. This amide has two amino groups joined by a carbonyl functional group. It is thus the simplest amide of carbamic acid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium is a modified form of ammonia that has an extra hydrogen atom. It is a positively charged (cationic) molecular ion with the chemical formula NH+4 or [NH4]+. It is formed by the addition of a proton to ammonia. Ammonium is also a general name for positively charged (protonated) substituted amines and quaternary ammonium cations, where one or more hydrogen atoms are replaced by organic or other groups. Not only is ammonium a source of nitrogen and a key metabolite for many living organisms, but it is an integral part of the global nitrogen cycle. As such, human impact in recent years could have an effect on the biological communities that depend on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium nitrate</span> Chemical compound with formula NH4NO3

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula NH4NO3. It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydroxylamine</span> Inorganic compound

Hydroxylamine is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NH2OH. The compound is in a form of a white hygroscopic crystals. Hydroxylamine is almost always provided and used as an aqueous solution. It is consumed almost exclusively to produce Nylon-6. The oxidation of NH3 to hydroxylamine is a step in biological nitrification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium bicarbonate</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium bicarbonate is an inorganic compound with formula (NH4)HCO3. The compound has many names, reflecting its long history. Chemically speaking, it is the bicarbonate salt of the ammonium ion. It is a colourless solid that degrades readily to carbon dioxide, water and ammonia.

Salting out is a purification technique that utilizes the reduced solubility of certain molecules in a solution of very high ionic strength. Salting out is typically used to precipitate large biomolecules, such as proteins or DNA. Because the salt concentration needed for a given protein to precipitate out of the solution differs from protein to protein, a specific salt concentration can be used to precipitate a target protein. This process is also used to concentrate dilute solutions of proteins. Dialysis can be used to remove the salt if needed.

Ammonium sulfate precipitation is one of the most commonly used methods for large and laboratory scale protein purification and fractionation that can be used to separate proteins by altering their solubility in the presence of a high salt concentration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potassium sulfate</span> Chemical compound

Potassium sulfate (US) or potassium sulphate (UK), also called sulphate of potash (SOP), arcanite, or archaically potash of sulfur, is the inorganic compound with formula K2SO4, a white water-soluble solid. It is commonly used in fertilizers, providing both potassium and sulfur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium chlorate</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the formula NH4ClO3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium nitrite</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium nitrite is a chemical compound with the chemical formula [NH4]NO2. It is the ammonium salt of nitrous acid. It is composed of ammonium cations [NH4]+ and nitrite anions NO−2. It is not used in pure isolated form since it is highly unstable and decomposes into water and nitrogen, even at room temperature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium phosphate</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium phosphate is the inorganic compound with the formula (NH4)3PO4. It is the ammonium salt of orthophosphoric acid. A related "double salt", (NH4)3PO4.(NH4)2HPO4 is also recognized but is impractical to use. Both triammonium salts evolve ammonia. In contrast to the unstable nature of the triammonium salts, the diammonium phosphate (NH4)2HPO4 and monoammonium salt (NH4)H2PO4 are stable materials that are commonly used as fertilizers to provide plants with fixed nitrogen and phosphorus.

A nitrate test is a chemical test used to determine the presence of nitrate ion in solution. Testing for the presence of nitrate via wet chemistry is generally difficult compared with testing for other anions, as almost all nitrates are soluble in water. In contrast, many common ions give insoluble salts, e.g. halides precipitate with silver, and sulfate precipitate with barium.

Indium(III) sulfate (In2(SO4)3) is a sulfate salt of the metal indium. It is a sesquisulfate, meaning that the sulfate group occurs 1⁠1/2⁠ times as much as the metal. It may be formed by the reaction of indium, its oxide, or its carbonate with sulfuric acid. An excess of strong acid is required, otherwise insoluble basic salts are formed. As a solid indium sulfate can be anhydrous, or take the form of a pentahydrate with five water molecules or a nonahydrate with nine molecules of water. Indium sulfate is used in the production of indium or indium containing substances. Indium sulfate also can be found in basic salts, acidic salts or double salts including indium alum.

The Kjeldahl method or Kjeldahl digestion (Danish pronunciation:[ˈkʰelˌtɛˀl]) in analytical chemistry is a method for the quantitative determination of a sample's organic nitrogen plus ammonia/ammonium. (NH3/NH4+). Without modification, other forms of inorganic nitrogen, for instance nitrate, are not included in this measurement. Using an empirical relation between Kjeldahl nitrogen and protein, it is an important method for indirectly quantifying protein content of a sample. This method was developed by Johan Kjeldahl in 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel(II) sulfate</span> Chemical compound

Nickel(II) sulfate, or just nickel sulfate, usually refers to the inorganic compound with the formula NiSO4(H2O)6. This highly soluble blue green coloured salt is a common source of the Ni2+ ion for electroplating. Approximately 40,000 tonnes were produced in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium iron(II) sulfate</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium iron(II) sulfate, or Mohr's salt, is the inorganic compound with the formula (NH4)2SO4.Fe(SO4).6H2O. Containing two different cations, Fe2+ and NH+4, it is classified as a double salt of ferrous sulfate and ammonium sulfate. It is a common laboratory reagent because it is readily crystallized, and crystals resist oxidation by air. Like the other ferrous sulfate salts, ferrous ammonium sulfate dissolves in water to give the aquo complex [Fe(H2O)6]2+, which has octahedral molecular geometry. Its mineral form is mohrite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium bisulfate</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium bisulfate, also known as ammonium hydrogen sulfate, is a white, crystalline solid with the formula (NH4)HSO4. This salt is the product of the half-neutralization of sulfuric acid by ammonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium iron(III) sulfate</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium iron(III) sulfate, NH4Fe(SO4)2·12 H2O, or NH4[Fe(H2O)6](SO4)2·6 H2O, also known as ferric ammonium sulfate (FAS) or iron alum, is a double salt in the class of alums, which consists of compounds with the general formula AB(SO4)2 · 12 H2O. It has the appearance of weakly violet, octahedrical crystals. There has been some discussion regarding the origin of the crystals' color, with some ascribing it to impurities in the compound, and others claiming it to be a property of the crystal itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobalt extraction</span>

Cobalt extraction refers to the techniques used to extract cobalt from its ores and other compound ores. Several methods exist for the separation of cobalt from copper and nickel. They depend on the concentration of cobalt and the exact composition of the ore used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium iodate</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium iodate is an inorganic salt which is sparingly soluble in cold, and moderately soluble in hot water, like all iodate salts, it is a strong oxidizer.

References

  1. ↑ Lide, David R., ed. (2006). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (87th ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN   0-8493-0487-3.
  2. 1 2 3 Zapp, Karl-Heinz (2012). "Ammonium Compounds". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a02_243. ISBN   9783527303854.
  3. ↑ Duong-Ly, Krisna C.; Gabelli, Sandra B. (2014-01-01). "Salting out of Proteins Using Ammonium Sulfate Precipitation". In Lorsch, Jon (ed.). Methods in Enzymology. Laboratory Methods in Enzymology: Protein Part C. Vol. 541. Academic Press. pp. 85–94. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-420119-4.00007-0. ISBN   9780124201194. PMID   24674064.
  4. ↑ Duong-Ly, Krisna C.; Gabelli, Sandra B. (2014-01-01). "Salting out of Proteins Using Ammonium Sulfate Precipitation". Laboratory Methods in Enzymology: Protein Part C. Vol. 541. pp. 85–94. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-420119-4.00007-0. ISBN   9780124201194. ISSN   1557-7988. PMID   24674064.
  5. ↑ Wingfield, Paul T. (2017-05-05). "Protein Precipitation Using Ammonium Sulfate". Current Protocols in Protein Science. 13 (1): A.3F.1–8. doi:10.1002/0471140864.psa03fs13. ISBN   978-0471140863. ISSN   1934-3655. PMC   4817497 . PMID   18429073.
  6. ↑ "Ammonium Sulfate Calculator". EnCor Biotechnology Inc. 2013. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  7. ↑ ASTM Standard Specification for Rubber Concentrates D 1076-06
  8. ↑ "Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Opinion: Ammonium sulfate". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. August 16, 2011. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Panera Bread: Menu & Nutrition: Nutrition Information Profile". Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Official Subway Restaurants U.S. Products Ingredients Guide". Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  11. ↑ Sarah Klein (May 14, 2012). "Gross Ingredients In Processed Foods". The Huffington Post . Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). February 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  13. ↑ George, C. W.; Susott, R. A. (April 1971). "Effects of Ammonium Phosphate and Sulfate on the Pyrolysis and Combustion of Cellulose". Research Paper INT-90. Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: USDA Forest Service. OL   16022833M.
  14. ↑ "Mascagnite". Mindat. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  15. ↑ Bauer, Jr., William (2002). "Methacrylic Acid and Derivatives". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry . Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a16_441. ISBN   978-3527306732..
  16. ↑ Okaya, Y.; K. Vedam; R. Pepinsky (1958). "Non-isomorphism of ferroelectric phases of ammonium sulfate and ammonium fluoberyllate". Acta Crystallographica. 11 (4): 307. Bibcode:1958AcCry..11..307O. doi: 10.1107/s0365110x58000803 . ISSN   0365-110X.
  17. ↑ Liu Ke-wei, Chen Tian-lang (2002). "Studies on the thermal decomposition of ammonium sulfate". Chemical Research and Application (in Chinese). 14 (6). doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-1656.2002.06.038.
  18. ↑ "Where Does Air Pollution Come From?". www.purakamasks.com. 2019-02-15. Archived from the original on 2019-02-20. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  19. ↑ Suzuki, S.; Makita, Y. (1978). "The crystal structure of Triammonium hydrogen Disulphate, (NH4)3H(SO4)2". Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry. 34 (3): 732–735. Bibcode:1978AcCrB..34..732S. doi:10.1107/S0567740878003969.
  20. ↑ "PAKISTAN: 'Anti-terrorist' fertilizer ban hinders farmers". IRIN Humanitarian News and Analysis. 2010. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.

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