ammonia

American  

[uh-mohn-yuh, uh-moh-nee-uh] / əˈmoʊn yə, əˈmoʊ ni ə /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, pungent, suffocating, highly water-soluble, gaseous compound, NH 3 , usually produced by the direct combination of nitrogen and hydrogen gases: used chiefly for refrigeration and in the manufacture of commercial chemicals and laboratory reagents.

2. Also called ammonia water.  Also called aqueous ammonia,.  Also called ammonia solution,.  this gas dissolved in water; ammonium hydroxide.

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ammonia British  

/ -njə, əˈməʊnɪə /

noun

1. a colourless pungent highly soluble gas mainly used in the manufacture of fertilizers, nitric acid, and other nitrogenous compounds, and as a refrigerant and solvent. Formula: NH 3

2. a solution of ammonia in water, containing the compound ammonium hydroxide

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ammonia Scientific  

/ ə-mōn′yə /

1. A colorless alkaline gas that is lighter than air and has a strongly pungent odor. It is used as a fertilizer and refrigerant, in medicine, and in making dyes, textiles, plastics, and explosives. Chemical formula: NH ₃ .

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Etymology

Origin of ammonia

First recorded in 1790–1800; from New Latin, so called as being obtained from sal ammoniac ( def. ); ammoniac

Compare meaning

How does ammonia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ammonia vs. ammonium
• ammonia vs. pneumonia

Example Sentences

Over longer periods, ammonia created as a metabolic byproduct of Sporosarcina pasteurii could help enable closed loop agricultural systems and might even play a role in Mars's terraforming efforts.

From Science Daily

Other alternatives to fuel oil that have been used in commercial shipping—like methanol, ammonia and natural gas—are either in short supply, toxic to the environment or cut emissions by only around 25%.

From The Wall Street Journal

An acquisition of BHP’s petroleum business was cheered by investors, though they looked askance at the company’s decision to invest in a low-carbon ammonia project in Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the new study, the researchers shifted their focus and asked a different question: How much do these ammonia oxidizers actually contribute to the overall dissolved inorganic carbon fixation in the dark ocean?

From Science Daily

The two companies explained the partnership as a way to “meet increasing demand for low-emission ammonia in the coming years.”

From Barron's