What is ammonium carbonate compound?

 

Ammonium carbonate is an inorganic salt with molecular formula (NH₄)₂CO₃. It is also known as baker’s ammonia and was a precursor to the more modern leavening agent baking soda and baking powder.

 

The molar mass of ammonium carbonate is 96.09 g/mol. It is a colorless crystalline solid or white powder with a strong odor of NH₃ and has a sharp ammoniacal taste.

It is non-combustible and completely dissolves in water. The melting point of ammonium carbonate is 331K. But it decomposes to its boiling point.

 

 Ammonium carbonate is a salt of weak carbonic acid. When carbonic acid is reacts with ammonia then ammonium carbonate is obtained.

 

2 NH₃ + H₂CO₃  → (NH₄)₂CO₃

 

It is also prepared by the sublimation of a mixture of ammonium sulfate and CaCO₃ and occurs as a white solid powder.

 

Since, ammonium carbonate is an inorganic as well as ionic compound hence it is soluble in water. The density of ammonium carbonate is 1.5 g/cm3.

 

On heating, ammonium carbonate readily degrades to gaseous NH₃ and CO₂. For this reason, it is used as a leavening agent and also as smelling salt.

 

Ammonium carbonate forms ammonium salts and carbon dioxide when it reacts with acids. With bases, it produces ammonia gases.

 

Uses of ammonium carbonate

 

Leavening agent

 

Ammonium carbonate is commonly used as a leavening agent in traditional recipes. It was the precursor to the more modern leavening agent baking soda and baking powder.

 

Ammonium carbonate acts as a heat activated leavening agent and it breaks down into CO₂ (leavening), ammonia and water.

 

 It is sometimes combined with NaHCO₃ to imitative as a double acting baking powder and to help mask any ammonia smell not baked out.

 

Baker’s ammonia should be used to create thin dry baked goods like crackers and cookies. This allows the strong ammonia smell to bake out,

 

Other uses

Ammonium carbonate is the main component of smelling salts, although the commercial scale of their production is small.

 

Ammonium carbonate is used as an active ingredient to prepare cough syrup which is used to help relieve symptoms of bronchitis.

 

Ammonium carbonate is also used as an emetic. It is also found in smokeless tobacco products like Skoal, and it is used in aqueous solution as a photographic lens cleaning agent.

• What is ammonium carbonate compound?
• Uses of ammonium carbonate
• What is ammonium carbonate used for?
• What is baker’s ammonia in chemistry?

 ammonium carbonate, uses of ammonium carbonate, baker’s ammonia,

 

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