ammonian.
1. A colourless gas with pungent smell and strong alkaline reaction, chemically a compound of three equivalents of hydrogen with one of nitrogen, NH3, which at a pressure of 6½ atmospheres, at 50° Fahr., is condensed to a colourless liquid. Called also spirit of hartshorn, in allusion to one of its early sources, the dry distillation of nitrogenous matter, as the hoofs and horns of animals; and volatile or animal alkali, in contradistinction to the ‘fixed’ alkalis, potash or ‘vegetable’ alkali, and soda or ‘mineral’ alkali.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical substances > bases > [noun] > named alkalis or bases > ammonia
volatile alkali1682
ammoniac1791
volalkali1796
ammonia1799
1799 A. Aikin & C. R. Aikin Syllabus Lect. Chem. 7 Ammonia, or Volatile Alkali.
1801 Hatchett in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 92 50 Ammonia formed a yellow flocculent precipitate.
1810 J. Dalton New Syst. Chem. Philos. ii. v. §6. 415 It has been long known to chemists as an important element, and under various names,..namely, volatile alkali, hartshorn, spirit of sal ammoniac, etc., but authors at present generally distinguish it by the name of ammonia.
1822 J. Flint Lett. from Amer. 62 A chemical manufactory in which ammonia, copperas..and various acids, are prepared.
1855 A. Bain Senses & Intellect i. ii. 160 In smelling salts, ammonia is the substance given forth.
2. pop. ammonia, or specifically liquid ammonia, a solution of ammonia in water, being the form in which it is commercially used.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical substances > bases > [noun] > named alkalis or bases > ammonia > aqueous solution of
spirit of hartshorn1680
ammoniac1850
c1850 J. Griffin in Ure Dict. Arts I. 140 To judge at a glance of the money value of any given sample of ammonia.
1863 H. Watts Dict. Chem. (1872) I. 184 Solution of ammonia, Aqueous ammonia, or simply Ammonia, Spirits of hartshorn.
3. Chem. Extended to a large series of compounds, analogous to ammonia, in which one or more of the three hydrogen atoms of NH3 are replaced by a basic metal or radical (amines, see amine n.), or by the oxygenized radical of an acid (amides, see amide n.), or by both at once (alkalamides, see alkalamide n.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > organic chemistry > amines > [noun] > (compounds) H atoms replaced by amines or amides
ammonia1863
1863 H. Watts Dict. Chem. (1872) I. 169 Ammonias in which 1 or more atoms of hydrogen are replaced by an acid-radicle.
1866 H. E. Roscoe Lessons Elem. Chem. xxix. 259 Each alcohol also forms a series of compound ammonias.
Compounds
C1. Comb. in which ammonia stands chiefly in attrib. relation, as ammonia gas, ammonia compounds, ammonia process, ammonia solution, ammonia substitution compound, ammonia works, etc. Also ammonia alum, ammonia amalgam, ammonia carbonate, ammonia salts, etc., in which ammonium n. is now used in more systematic nomenclature.
ΚΠ
1849 M. Somerville Connex. Physical Sci. xxiv. 227 Paper prepared with the ammonia-citrate of iron.
1864 Reader 9 Apr. 464 The pale reddish amethystine colour of ammonia-iron-alum.
1868 H. B. Jones & H. Watts Fownes's Man. Elem. Chem. (ed. 10) 169 Ammonia gas..is colourless.
1879 Athenæum 30 Aug. 277/3 The ‘ammonia process’—which has been developed by M. Ernest Solvay, of Brussels.
C2.
ammonia-meter n. an instrument for measuring the percentage of ammonia in an aqueous solution.
ΚΠ
1875 A. Ure Dict. Arts I. 140 Mr. J. J. Griffin has constructed a useful instrument called an Ammonia-meter.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1884; most recently modified version published online June 2011).
<
n.1799