Description

Brief Overview

Ammonium sulphate is an inorganic salt with the chemical formula (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 . Ammonium sulphate has various industrial applications, but should also be handled very carefully as it can be highly hazardous to humans. Its primary use is as a fertilizer for agriculture as it contains 21% nitrogen and 24% sulphur. Ammonium sulphate occurs in nature in the form of a mineral called mascagnite. Mascagnite is a rare mineral and is present in volcanic fumaroles and coal fire dumps.

Manufacturing Process

Ammonium sulphate is prepared by treating ammonia with sulphuric acid. The chemical reaction is written as:

2 NH 3 + H 2 SO 4 → (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4

Another method of preparing ammonium sulphate is adding gypsum salt to an ammonium carbonate solution. Calcium carbonate and ammonium sulphate are the products of the reaction. The calcium carbonate is precipitated from the mixture, leaving behind a solution of ammonium sulphate.