AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE

also called Aqua Ammonia, solution of ammonia gas in water, a common commercial form of ammonia. It is a colourless liquid with a strong characteristic odour. In concentrated form, ammonium hydroxide can cause burns on contact with the skin; ordinary household ammonia, used as a cleanser, is dilute ammonium hydroxide. The water solution is generally represented by the formula NH4OH, though no appreciable amount of the molecular species NH4OH is present: the solution consists primarily of large quantities of water (H2O) and ammonia (NH3) and smaller quantities of ammonium ion, NH+4 , and hydroxide ion, OH-.