Ammonia solution, also known as ammonium hydroxide, ammonia water, ammonical liquor, ammonia liquor, aqua ammonia, aqueous ammonia, or simply ammonia, is a solution of ammonia in water.
Contents
Uses
- Household ammonia is dilute ammonium hydroxide, which is also an ingredient of numerous other cleaning agents, including many window cleaning formulas. In addition to use as an ingredient in cleansers with other cleansing ingredients, ammonium hydroxide in water is also sold as a cleaning agent by itself, usually labeled as simply “ammonia”. It may be sold plain, lemon-scented (and typically colored yellow), or pine-scented (green). Commonly available ammonia that has had soap added to it is known as “Cloudy ammonia”.
- In industry, ammonium hydroxide is used as a precursor to some alkyl amines, although anhydrous ammonia is usually preferred. Hexamethylenetetramine forms readily from aqueous ammonia and formaldehyde. Ethylenediamine forms from 1,2-dichloroethane and aqueous ammonia.
- In furniture-making, ammonium hydroxide was traditionally used to darken or stain wood containing tannic acid. After being sealed inside a container with the wood, fumes from the ammonium hydroxide react with the tannic acid and iron salts naturally found in wood, creating a rich, dark stained look to the wood. This was commonly used during the arts and crafts movement in furniture- a furniture style which was primarily constructed of oak and stained using these methods.
- In food production, ammonium hydroxide is used as a leavening agent or acidity regulator and is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Its pH control abilities make it an effective antimicrobial agent.
- Ammonium hydroxide is used in the tobacco industry as well. According to Phillip Morris USA, quantities up to 0.3% ammonium hydroxide are used in tobacco for “flavor” enhancement and as a “processing aid”
Benefits
- Acts as a pH adjuster. It’s used in a variety of cosmetics, particularly hair products like dyes, bleaching products and grooming products. When used in hair dyes, it helps the color properly diffuse into the hair shaft. In addition to hair dye, it can also be found in products such as facial moisturizer/lotion, anti-aging treatment, cleanserm sunscreen, acne treatment, exfoliant/scrub, mascara and skin fader/lightener.
Cautions
- No specific ingredients are listed though the ingredients are all natural and have no known side effects other than less gas.
Interactions
- Please consult your nutritionist
Other names
n/a
References
Source:
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_hydroxide
Truth in Aging, https://www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/ammonium-hydroxide