Sal ammoniac
| Sal ammoniac | |
|---|---|
| 240px | |
| General | |
| Category | Halide mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) |
NH4Cl |
| Strunz classification | 3.AA.25 |
| Crystal symmetry | Isometric 4/m 3 2/m - Gyroidal |
| Unit cell | a = 3.859 Å; Z = 1 |
| Identification | |
| Formula mass | 53.49 g/mol |
| Color | Colorless, white, pale gray, may be pale yellow to brown if impure |
| Crystal habit | Crystals skeletal or dendritic; massive, encrustations |
| Crystal system | Isometric |
| Twinning | On {111} |
| Cleavage | Imperfect on {111} |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Tenacity | Sectile |
| Mohs scale hardness | 1-2 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Streak | White |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent |
| Specific gravity | 1.535 |
| Optical properties | Isotropic |
| Refractive index | n = 1.639 |
| Birefringence | Weak after deformation |
| Ultraviolet fluorescence | no |
| Absorption spectra | no |
| Solubility | in water |
| References | [1][2][3] |
Sal ammoniac is a rare mineral composed of ammonium chloride, NH4Cl. It forms colorless to white to yellow-brown crystals in the isometric-hexoctahedral class. It has very poor cleavage and a brittle to conchoidal fracture. It is quite soft, with a Mohs hardness of 1.5 to 2, and has a low specific gravity of 1.5. It is water-soluble. Sal ammoniac is also the archaic name for the chemical compound ammonium chloride. The Romans called the ammonium chloride deposits they collected from near the Temple of Jupiter Amun (Greek Ἄμμων Ammon) in ancient Libya 'sal ammoniacus' (salt of Amun) because of proximity to the nearby temple.[4] Salts of ammonia have been known from very early times; thus the term Hammoniacus sal appears in the writings of Pliny,[5] although it is not known whether the term is identical with the more modern sal-ammoniac.[6] In any case, this salt ultimately gave ammonia and ammonium compounds their name.
It typically forms as encrustations formed by sublimation around volcanic vents. It is found around volcanic fumaroles, guano deposits and burning coal seams. Associated minerals include sodium alum, native sulfur and other fumarole minerals. Notable occurrences include Tajikistan; Mt. Vesuvius, Italy; and Parícutin, Michoacan, Mexico.
Uses
It is commonly used to clean the soldering iron in the soldering of stained-glass windows. In both jewellery-making and the refining of precious metals, potassium carbonate is added to gold and silver in a borax-coated crucible to purify iron or steel filings that may have contaminated the scrap. It is then air-cooled and remelted with a one-to-one mixture of powdered charcoal and sal ammoniac to yield a sturdy ingot of the respective metal or alloy in the case of sterling silver (7.5% copper) or karated gold.
Sal ammoniac has also been used in the past in bakery products to give cookies a very crisp texture, although that application is rapidly dying due to the general disuse of it as an ingredient. However, in some areas of Europe, particularly Nordic countries and the Netherlands, it is still widely used in the production of salty licorice candy known as Salmiak or Salmiakki.[7]
Sal Ammoniac (ammonium chloride) was the electrolyte in Leclanche cells, a forerunner of the dry battery—where a carbon rod and a zinc rod or cylinder formed the electrodes.
References
- ↑ Salammoniac: Salammoniac mineral on Mindat.org
- ↑ Sal-ammoniac on Webmineral
- ↑ Handbook of Mineralogy
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Chisholm 1911 cites Pliny Nat. Hist. xxxi. 39
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.thecrimson.com/series/summer-postcards/article/2011/8/8/salmiak-taste-people-available/
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons- Mineral galleries
