What is ammonia?

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Ammonia is a chemical compound that is often used in different areas. The hair care sector alone often uses this chemical for coloring products. Find out what ammonia is here.

Ammonia is used in hair coloring.
Ammonia is used in hair coloring.

Ammonia - interesting facts and background

Ammonia occurs naturally in the human body, so that the chemical compound also plays a role in the metabolism.

  • Ammonia is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. The outgoing odor of the colorless gas is strongly pungent, so that its toxicity is already indicated by the fragrance factor. Protection should therefore always be worn when handling ammonia in order to avoid irritation of the mucous membranes.
  • Ammonia is an amphoteric substance that can act as a base under aqueous conditions. Ammonia is particularly important in the fertilizer industry because it is used as a raw material for fertilizer. In the form of urea and ammonium salts, this is used as a fertilizer in agriculture.
  • Ammonia also has the function as an intermediate product in the breakdown and build-up of amino acids. Due to its toxicity, the body converts ammonia into urea, while birds excrete uric acid as a metabolic product of ammonia.

Occurrence and areas of application of the chemical

In addition to the use of ammonia as a fertilizer, the chemical is used successfully in other areas.

Ammonia Usage - Interesting Facts

Ammonia is the most chemically produced substance in the world. She finds …

  • Free ammonia gas is naturally relatively rare on earth. Because when organic material, for example plant material or animal excrement, decomposes, the released ammonia reacts quickly with nitric or sulfuric acid and thus becomes salt. Above all, volcanic eruptions produce high concentrations of ammonia, as do livestock farming and road traffic.
  • Above all, the cyanobacteria, as microorganisms, are able to remove ammonia directly from the air or in the context of nitrogen fixation. to filter the nitrogen in the air and thus carry out photosynthesis. One of the products of metabolism is oxygen. Thanks to the cyanobacteria, the air is freed from harmful gases and pure oxygen is released as a metabolic product.
  • Ammonia is also used as a CFC-free coolant in refrigerated counters, and ice rinks also use the properties of ammonia for cooling.
  • Ammonia is also widely used in hair coloring. The chemical brings the hair, resp. the keratin layer of the hair to swell and thus better accept and fix the color pigments. In this way, ammonia in hair colors can be used to optimize the color result, while the Hair does not swell excessively and the coloring lasts longer and more brilliant colors having.

When dealing with ammonia, you should always take safety measures because it is quickly volatile Gas can cause bronchial damage, tears and other health problems cause.

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