The gas with a sharp smell
Part 1 — Ammonia is the gas you smell near a cattle shed or a bottle of household cleaner. It is the only common alkaline gas, and it is made in huge amounts for fertilisers.
In this lesson you will
- Write the equation and describe the apparatus for preparing ammonia in the laboratory
- Explain why ammonia is dried over quicklime and collected by downward displacement of air
- Write equations for ammonia from nitrides and from ammonium salts
- State the conditions of Haber’s process and describe the fountain experiment
| Property | Ammonia |
|---|---|
| Colour and smell | Colourless; sharp, pungent |
| Density | Lighter than air (vapour density 8.5) |
| Solubility in water | Extremely soluble |
| Nature | Basic: turns moist red litmus blue |
| Liquefies | Easily, under pressure |