Sulfate of Ammonia 17 



ammonia and forms the volatil salt, am- 

 monium carbonate. Part of the process of 

 pm-ification of coal gas consists in washing 

 out the ammonia and ammonium carbonate 

 in water. This wash is known as dilute gas 

 liquor (2| oz. of ammonia to the gallon) 

 and may be concentrated by distillation. 

 Such a concentrated product contains the 

 equivalent of about 18 oz. of ammonia 

 (NH3) per gallon of liquid. 



The United States normally produces 

 about 300,000 tons of sulfate of ammonia 

 annually. Since the war the production has 

 doubled and is constantly increasing. It is a 

 plant food furnishing both nitrogen and sulfur; 

 excessive use as a fertilizer, however, may 

 deplete the soil of its calcium. 



The milk of lime which decomposes the 

 ammonium carbonate must be straind or 

 the lumps will clog the thistle tube. In 

 place of the procedure described the mixture 

 may be allowd to settle four or five seconds 

 after stirring and the upper portion pourd 

 thru the thistle tube leaving the lumps be- 

 hind on the bottom of the container. 



Should the process of distillation be inter- 

 rupted before the sulfuric acid is neutral- 

 ized the product will be a mixture of the 

 neutral and acid ammonium sulfates. 



Sometimes the tarry materials exist in the 



