Ammonium chloride

The main application of ammonium chloride is as a nitrogen source in fertilizers(corresponding to 90% of the world production of ammonium chloride), e.g. chloroammonium phosphate. The main crops are rice and wheat in Asia.

Ammonium chloride is used as a flux in preparing metals to be tin coated, galvanized or soldered. It works as a flux by cleaning the surface of workpieces by reacting with the metal oxides at the surface to form a volatile metal chloride. For this purpose, it is sold in blocks at hardware stores for use in cleaning the tip of a soldering iron and can also be included in solder as flux.

Ammonium chloride is used as an expectorant in cough medicine. Its expectorant action is caused by irritative action on the bronchial mucosa. This causes the production of excess respiratory tract fluid which presumably is easier to cough up. Ammonium salts are an irritant to the gastric mucosa and may induce nausea and vomiting.

In several countries, ammonium chloride, known as sal ammoniac, is used as food additive, commonly as a yeast nutrient in bread making. It is a feed supplement for cattle and an ingredient in nutritive media for yeasts and many microorganisms.

Ammonium chloride is used to spice up dark sweets called salty liquorice, in baking to give cookies a very crisp texture, and in the vodka Salmiakki Koskenkorva for flavouring. In India and Pakistan, it is called 'Noshader' and is used to improve the crispness of snacks such as samosas and jalebi.

Ammonium chloride is used to produce low temperatures in cooling baths. Ammonium chloride solutions with ammonia are used asbuffer solutions.Other uses include in hair shampoo, in the glue that bonds plywood, and in cleaning products. Ammonium chloride is used in the textile and leather industry in dyeing, tanning, textile printing and to luster cotton.