Ammonium Chloride | Formula, Uses, & Facts | Britannica

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External Websites

• MedicineNet - Ammonium Chloride
• Nature - Scientific Reports - Ammonium chloride alters neuronal excitability and synaptic vesicle release
• CAMEO Chemicals - Ammonium Chloride
• New Jersey Department of Health - Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet - Ammonium Chloride
• National Institute of Standards and Technology - Ammonium Chloride
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Ammonium Chloride Ingestion Attenuates Exercise-Induced mRNA Levels in Human Muscle

ammonium chloride chemical compound Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: sal ammoniac Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 17, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), the salt of ammonia and hydrogen chloride. Its principal uses are as a nitrogen supply in fertilizers and as an electrolyte in dry cells, and it is also extensively employed as a constituent of galvanizing, tinning, and soldering fluxes to remove oxide coatings from metals and thereby improve the adhesion of the solders. It is a component of many proprietary cold medicines and cough remedies because of its efficacy as an expectorant, and in veterinary medicine, it is used to prevent urinary stones in goats, cattle, and sheep. Ammonium chloride is a colourless crystalline substance. It is highly soluble in water, readily forming a slightly acidic solution. It vaporizes without melting at 340 °C (644 °F) to form equal volumes of ammonia and hydrogen chloride. Ammonium chloride is yielded as a by-product in the ammonia-soda process for making sodium carbonate. It also is produced by reaction of ammonium sulfate and sodium chloride solutions. When mixed with slaked lime (calcium carbonate), ammonia gas is the result.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.