Many chemical compounds are created from basic elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, etc. These compounds are transformed from one part of the environment to the other through various processes. This leads to a cycle of chemical compounds such as the water cycle, nitrogen cycle, ammonia cycle, etc. The fate of chemical compounds is what happens with the compound when it’s released into the environment and how it transforms. Ammonia is a chemical compound made from a combination of hydrogen and nitrogen molecules.
Chemical compounds
Chemical compounds are formed whenever atoms of different elements combine. This process occurs so often in nature that various compounds are found in abundance in the environment. Most of the compounds are made from basic elements like oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, sulphur and oxygen, which make up most of the earth’s atmosphere.
The most commonly found chemical compounds in the earth’s atmosphere are:
- Nitrogen oxides
- Sulphur oxides
- Carbon oxides
- Sulphur hydroxides
The fate of ammonia, sulphur oxides and several other components helps us understand their cycles better. Before studying the fate of ammonia, let’s learn about what ammonia is first.
Ammonia
Ammonia is a chemical compound made from a combination of nitrogen and hydrogen atoms. The chemical formula of ammonia is NH3. Three hydrogen atoms combine with one nitrogen atom to form ammonia, a colourless gas with a pungent smell.
The significance of ammonia is that it fulfils the nutrition needs of organisms that live on land. Ammonia takes care of about 45% of the world’s food and fertilisers. Ammonia is used in many pharmaceutical medicines and commercial cleaning products. There are lots of benefits of the compound ammonia.
However, ammonia also has hazardous effects. Many nations regard ammonia as an extremely hazardous substance. Any use of ammonia must be reported in those countries. Naturally, ammonia is only found in small quantities in the environment. Hence, the fate of ammonia is mostly studied through synthetic ammonia. This ammonia is produced due to nitrogenous waste of vegetable and animal matter. Ammonia is also found on other planets such as Uranus, Saturn and Pluto.
Properties of Ammonia
Following are the properties of ammonia:
- Ammonia is a pungent-smelling and colourless gas.
- The density of ammonia is less than air.
- There is strong hydrogen bonding among the molecules of ammonia. Hence ammonia is easily liquified.
- Ammonia is quick to dissolve in water.
- The decomposition of ammonia is an endothermic process.
The fate of chemical compounds
The fate of any chemical compound means studying what happens to the chemical compound when it is released into the environment. Most chemicals that are used end up getting released into the water bodies such as the lake, rivers, oceans, etc. Some are released into the air and are hazardous. Let us study the fate of ammonia in the atmosphere.
The fate of ammonia
The fate of ammonia means studying how the ammonia cycle works and how ammonia is transformed in the process.
The fate of ammonia in the atmosphere:
Ammonia is expected to only exist as a gas in the ambient atmosphere. However, the face of ammonia is degraded due to a reaction with hydroxyl radicals. Ammonia quickly reacts with sulphuric acids and nitric acids to form fine particles. The ammonia which has been previously released into the atmosphere will return to the surface in the form of ammonium ion or gaseous ammonia.
The ammonia dissolves in water in the atmosphere and leads to the formation of clouds or fog. The wavelengths above 290 nm are not absorbed by ammonia. Such is the fate of ammonia in the atmosphere.
The fate of ammonia in the human body
During cell metabolism, free ammonium ions are produced in the body. The glutamine synthetase utilises these ammonium ions to produce glutamine. The liver mitochondria contain ammonia and bicarbonate, which initiate the urea cycle. This in turn initiates the removal of ammonium in humans. The useful parts of ammonia get converted into nutrients in the blood, and the other parts of ammonia are released from the body through urine.
When we breathe out, the air contains ammonia. We eliminate the ammonia in our body through the skin. The elimination of ammonia is one of the major functions of the urinary system. The skeletal muscles and the brain do not participate in producing or removing ammonia under normal conditions. Such is the fate of ammonia in the human body.
Conclusion:
Many chemical compounds are created due to the reaction of elements with one other. Ammonia is one such compound. Ammonia is a significant compound as it takes care of animals’ and plants’ nutritional and food needs. In plants, the ammonia gets converted into amino acids. In animals, the healthy kidneys absorb the good ammonia, and the body eliminates another part of ammonia. The elimination of ammonia in the human body takes place as we exhale, through our skin and our urine.