Pixicious - 25-2-2008 at 17:55
Hi,
I had wondered since I found a bottle of Ammonium Chloride whether it could be broken down into the components that made it. NH3 + HCl. Would heating
produce this?
I am aware Hydrogen Chloride can then relatively easily be broken down to it's components and NH3 can too be too with relative ease.
It's not an experiment I would do but it is one that interests me.
Pixie
[Edited on 26-2-2008 by Pixicious]
chemkid - 25-2-2008 at 18:34
Hydrogen chloride can be broken down via. manganese dioxide (black powder in dry cell batteries). I would like to know about ammonia as well.
Chemkid
Pixicious - 25-2-2008 at 18:54
Would that be in a methanol solution or water?
NH4Cl + NaOH -> NH3(gas) + NaCl
An Iron/Copper catalyst at 450C will break NH3 into its components I believe.
microcosmicus - 25-2-2008 at 19:10
Sure, it will decompose upon heating (and recompose upon cooling). You can read
all you want to know about this and more in the following article:
C. C. Stephenson
The Dissociation of Ammonium Chloride
J. Chem. Phys. 12, 318 (1944);
In fact, an old preparation for ammonia was to heat NH4Cl and then use CaO to remove
the HCl. Historical trivia: Originally, NH4Cl was known as "sal ammoniac" because it
occurred naturally near the temple of Ammon, so the gas prepared from it became
known as ammonia.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A632990
chemkid - 25-2-2008 at 19:14
I do love the olden names for compounds and their origins...blue vitrol, oil of vitrol, so on and so fourth