
| a white, crystalline, water-soluble powder, NH4Cl, which produces a cooling sensation on the tongue, used chiefly in the manufacture of dry cells, in electroplating, and in medicine as an expectorant. |
| ammonium chloride n. A slightly hygroscopic, white crystalline compound, NH4Cl, used in dry cells, as a soldering flux, and as an expectorant. Also called sal ammoniac. |
| sal ammoniac n. See ammonium chloride. [Middle English sal armoniak, from Latin sāl ammōniacus, salt of Amen : sāl, salt; see sal + ammōniacus, of Amen; see ammonia.] |
| ammonium chloride
A white crystalline compound used in dry cells, as a soldering flux, and as an expectorant. Also called sal ammoniac. Chemical formula: NH4Cl. |
| sal ammoniac (sāl ə-mō'nē-āk') Pronunciation Key
See ammonium chloride. |
sal ammoniac
the salt of ammonia and hydrogen chloride. Its principal use is 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. 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
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