E2618-NH3-E
Rev 09.03.2021
Ammonia
Colourless gas, highly soluble in water, with characteristic pungent smell.
Ammonia is a large-scale product of the chemical industry widely used as a raw material
for production of fertilizers and explosives, as a refrigerant, as a cleaning and antimicrobial
agent.
Ammonia is also produced naturally from decomposition of organic matter, including
plants and animals.
Chemical formula
NH
3
Molar weight
17
Relative gas density (to air)
0.59
Conversion
1 ppm = 0.70 mg/m
3
Boiling point
-33.3 °C
Low explosive limit (LEL), % vol. in air
15
Upper explosive limit (UEL), % vol. in air
28
Odour
Characteristic pungent smell
Odour detection threshold
0.04 ppm ...57 ppm according to different studies
Hazards
Ammonia is irritant to skin, eyes and respiratory tract.
Ammonia inhalation causes breathing difficulties
(wheezing). At high concentrations may lead to
pulmonary edema.
Exposure limits
(Directive 2000/39/EC)
TWA
14 mg/m
3
/ 20 ppm
STEL
36 mg/m
3
/ 50 ppm
Conversion of ppm to mg/m
3
is calculated for 25°C and 1 atm.
3
