ammonium hydroxide
A scientist carefully pours ammonium hydroxide into a beaker during an experiment.
Noun A colorless, basic, aqueous solution of ammonia (NH₃) in water. It is commonly used as a cleaning agent and in various chemical processes.
"Ammonium hydroxide" is a chemical term. It is used as a non-count noun to refer to the solution itself. It is often found in technical, industrial, and household cleaning contexts.
- The laboratory uses ammonium hydroxide as a common reagent for neutralization.
- Many glass cleaners contain a dilute solution of ammonium hydroxide.
- The strong, pungent smell in the room was from spilled ammonium hydroxide.
- Chemical Precursor: In manufacturing, ammonium hydroxide is a key precursor for producing other ammonium compounds and in organic synthesis.
- The synthesis required the careful addition of ammonium hydroxide to precipitate the product.
- Aqua Ammonia: A common synonym, especially in industrial contexts.
- Ammonia Water: A less formal term for the same solution.
- NH₄OH: The common chemical formula used to represent ammonium hydroxide, though it is an equilibrium mixture of NH₃ and H₂O.
- Aqua ammonia
- Ammonia solution
- Ammonia water
While "ammonium hydroxide" formally suggests the presence of NH₄⁺ and OH⁻ ions, in practice, it refers to an aqueous ammonia solution where most of the ammonia exists as dissolved NH₃ molecules. The terms "ammonia" and "ammonium hydroxide" are often used interchangeably in commercial and general contexts, though "ammonium hydroxide" specifically denotes the aqueous solution.
A scientist carefully pours ammonium hydroxide into a beaker during an experiment.
- a water solution of ammonia