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E527 Ammonium hydroxide is a colorless, liquid solution with a characteristic and pungent odor.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is ammonia combined with water. Ammonia (NH3) is a compound consisting of nitrogen and hydrogen.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is very common compounds, found naturally in the environment (in air, water, and soil) and in all plants and animals, including humans. Ammonia is a source of nitrogen, an essential element for plants and animals.
CAS Number: 1336-21-6
Molecular Formula: H5NO
Molecular Weight: 35.05
EINECS Number: 215-647-6
Synonyms: ammonium hydroxide, 1336-21-6, ammonia water, ammonia aqueous, aquammonia, ammonia aqua, household ammonia, ammonia monohydrate, ammonia water 29%, NH4OH, SX 1 ammonia water, ammonium hydroxide NH4OH, DTXSID4020080, CHEBI:18219, hydroxide ammonium, RefChem:6613, DTXCID8080, 921-933-8, ammonium hydrate, Ammoniumhydroxid, MFCD00066650, Caswell No. 044, ammoniumhydroxide, ammonia aqueous, SX 1, ammonia water JAN, HSDB 5125, EINECS 215-647-6, UN2672, UN3318, EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 005301, ammoniaque, ammonia hydrate, water ammonia, ammonium hydoxide, ammonium hydroxid, ammonium hyroxide, amonium hydroxide, agua de amoniaco, ammonium hydorxide, amrnonium hydroxide, hidroxido de amonio, NH3 water, water NH3, hydroxyde d'ammonium, UN2073, ammonium aqueous 28% or less NH3, AMINE HYDRATE, ammonia solution 25%, ammonium hydroxide 28% or less ammonia, ammonia water JP18, EC 215-647-6, NH3 H2O, NH3-H2O, NH3.H2O, ammonium hydroxide 25% NH3, ammonia ammonium hydroxide 28% by weight or more NH3, VHUUQVKOLVNVRT-UHFFFAOYSA-N, AKOS015903971, AKOS030228272, E527, NS00075653, C01358, D04594, USP Solution Ammonia Ammonium Hydroxide TS Conforms to USP, Ammonia Water, Ammonia Aqua, Ammonia Monohydrate, Aqua Ammonia, SX 1, SX 1 Ammonia Water, Ammonium hydroxide solution >=25% NH3 in H2O, semiconductor grade VLSI PURANAL(TM) (Honeywell 17605);Ammonium hydroxide solution 28% NH3 in H2O, >=99.99% trace metals basis;Ammonium hydroxide solution ACS reagent, 28.0-30.0% NH3 basis;Ammonium hydroxide solution puriss. p.a. plus, >=25% NH3 in H2O;Ammonium hydroxide solution puriss. p.a., reag. ISO, reag. Ph. Eur., ~25% NH3 basis;Ammonium hydroxide solution puriss., 30-33% NH3 in H2O;Ammonium hydroxide solution puriss., meets analytical specification of Ph.Eur., 25-30% NH3 basis;KARL FISCHER REAGENT COMBINORM 1
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is also produced by the human body – by our organs and tissues and by beneficial bacteria living in our intestines.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide, also known as aqueous ammonia or ammonia solution (NH₄OH), is a weak inorganic alkaline solution formed when ammonia gas dissolves in water, and it is widely used in industrial cleaning, food processing (regulated use), chemical manufacturing, and pH control systems because of its ability to act as a mild base that can neutralize acids and participate in reversible acid–base reactions without being as corrosive as strong alkalis like sodium or potassium hydroxide.
It is essentially ammonia dissolved in water, existing in equilibrium between ammonia (NH₃), water (H₂O), and ammonium (NH₄⁺) ions.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves its usefulness as a controllable and reversible alkaline reagent.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is not a pure compound in isolation but rather a dynamic equilibrium system where ammonia reacts with water to form ammonium and hydroxide ions, creating a mildly alkaline solution that can adjust pH, interact with acids, and participate in coordination chemistry with metals and organic compounds.
Because the equilibrium can shift easily, its strength as a base is weaker and more flexible compared with strong hydroxides.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves its suitability for gentle pH adjustment and controlled reactions.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide appears as a clear, colorless liquid with a strong, pungent ammonia odor, and it is highly volatile, meaning ammonia gas can easily escape from solution, especially when heated or exposed to air, which contributes to its noticeable smell and requires proper ventilation during handling.
Its volatility is a key characteristic that influences both its applications and safety requirements.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves its usefulness in gas-release and cleaning systems.
It functions primarily as a pH regulator and cleaning agent, where it is used to neutralize acidic substances, adjust reaction conditions, and assist in dissolving grease, proteins, and organic residues in industrial and laboratory cleaning applications.
Its mild alkalinity makes it effective without causing the same level of material damage as stronger bases.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves controlled cleaning and chemical adjustment performance.
It is also used in chemical synthesis and industrial processes, where it acts as a nitrogen source or a ligand-forming agent in coordination chemistry, especially in reactions involving metal ions where ammonia complexes can form stable intermediate structures.
This makes it important in analytical chemistry and industrial catalysis systems.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves reaction versatility and chemical control.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is best described as a weak, volatile alkaline aqueous ammonia solution used for pH regulation, cleaning, chemical synthesis, and industrial processing due to its reversible equilibrium chemistry and ability to provide controlled, mild alkalinity in aqueous systems.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is an alkaline chemical compound used as an acidity regulator and leavening agent in the food industry. While the name suggests a hydroxide, it is actually an aqueous solution of ammonia gas in water.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is a solution of ammonia in water.
Alternatively, it is known as ammonia water, ammonium hydroxide, ammoniacal liquor, ammonia liquor, liquid ammonia, aqua ammonia, aqueous ammonia, or (inaccurately, nevertheless commonly referred to as) simply ammonia. It can be denoted by the symbols NH3(aq).
Although the name ammonium hydroxide suggests a salt with the composition [NH+4][OH−], it is impossible to isolate samples of NH4OH.
The ions NH+4 and OH− do not account for a significant fraction of the total amount of ammonia except in extremely dilute solutions.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is also widely used in industrial pH buffering and fine adjustment systems, where its relatively weak and reversible alkalinity allows operators to raise pH in a controlled way without permanently locking the system into strongly basic conditions, because the ammonia–ammonium equilibrium can shift depending on temperature, concentration, and acidity of the surrounding medium.
This makes it especially useful in processes that require dynamic pH control rather than permanent alkalization.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves flexibility in chemical process management.
In refrigeration and cooling systems, E527 Ammonium hydroxide is historically important as part of ammonia-based refrigeration cycles, where ammonia’s thermodynamic properties allow efficient heat absorption and release during phase changes, making it a valuable working fluid in industrial cooling plants, cold storage systems, and large-scale refrigeration applications.
Although modern systems often use more specialized refrigerants, ammonia remains important in certain industrial setups.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves thermal efficiency in industrial cooling.
In silver mirror and coating processes (Tollens-type chemistry in controlled systems), E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used because it can form complex ions with silver, allowing controlled reduction and deposition of metallic silver onto surfaces, which is important in analytical chemistry and certain reflective coating applications.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide coordination chemistry behavior is key to its reactivity with metal ions.
This improves controlled metal deposition and chemical coating processes.
In rubber and latex processing industries, E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used to stabilize natural latex by increasing pH and preventing premature coagulation, which helps maintain a uniform colloidal suspension of rubber particles during transport and processing before controlled coagulation is intentionally induced later in production.
This is critical in glove, tire, and rubber product manufacturing.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves latex stability and industrial processing control.
In photographic and imaging chemistry (historical and specialized use), E527 Ammonium hydroxide has been used in developing solutions and emulsions because it helps control pH and influence silver halide reactions, although many modern photographic processes have replaced or reduced its use due to newer chemical systems.
Its role was especially important in traditional darkroom chemistry.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves chemical control in image development processes.
Melting point: −77°C
Boiling point: 36°C
Density: 0.91 g/mL at 20 °C
Vapor density: 1.2 (vs air)
Vapor pressure: 115 mmHg at 20 °C (for 29% solution)
Storage temp.: 2–8°C
Solubility: water (soluble)
Form: liquid, single sub-boiling quartz distillation
pKa: 9.3 (at 25℃)
Specific gravity: approx. 0.96 (10%, 15℃)
Color: colorless
Odor: strong pungent ammonia odor detectable at 17 ppm
pH: 10.09 (1 mM); 10.61 (10 mM); 11.12 (100 mM)
Explosive limit: 27%
Water solubility: miscible with water
λmax: λ 260 nm Amax 0.01; λ 280 nm Amax 0.01
Merck: 14,494
BRN: 3587154
E527 Ammonium hydroxide plays an important role in protein synthesis in the human body.
In brief summary, all living things need proteins, which are comprised of some 20 different amino acids.
While plants and microorganisms can synthesize most amino acids from the nitrogen in the atmosphere, animals cannot.
For humans, some amino acids cannot be synthesized at all and must be consumed as intact amino acids.
Other amino acids, however, can be synthesized by microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract with the help of ammonia ions.
Thus, ammonia is a key player in the nitrogen cycle and in protein synthesis. Ammonia also helps maintain the body's pH balance.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is widely used in industrial cleaning and degreasing systems, where its ability to break down oils, fats, and organic residues makes it effective for cleaning glass, stainless steel, laboratory equipment, and industrial machinery without leaving strong corrosive damage on surfaces.
Its volatility allows it to evaporate after cleaning, leaving minimal residue behind.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves cleaning efficiency and surface safety.
In food processing applications (regulated and indirect use), E527 Ammonium hydroxide may be used as a pH control agent or processing aid, especially in certain caramel color production or cocoa processing steps, although strict regulatory limits apply to ensure safety and prevent excessive exposure.
It is never intended to remain as a significant component in final food products.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves controlled food manufacturing processes.
In fertilizer and agricultural chemistry, E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used as a nitrogen source because ammonia provides an easily convertible form of nitrogen that can be incorporated into fertilizers or used in soil chemistry to support plant growth through nitrogen availability.
This connects it indirectly to plant nutrition systems.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves agricultural nutrient production.
In water treatment systems, ammonium hydroxide is sometimes used for pH adjustment or neutralization in controlled processes, especially where a mild and reversible alkaline effect is needed without introducing strong mineral residues into the system.
However, its use is carefully controlled due to ammonia volatility.
This improves flexible pH management in water systems.
In metal processing and mining industries, it is used in leaching and complexation reactions where ammonia forms soluble complexes with certain metal ions, helping in extraction, purification, or separation of metals in hydrometallurgical processes.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is particularly useful for copper and nickel-related systems.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves metal recovery and separation efficiency.
In laboratory and analytical chemistry, E527 Ammonium hydroxide is widely used in titrations, buffer systems, and qualitative inorganic analysis because it can form characteristic metal-ammonia complexes that help identify and separate metal ions in solution.
Its reversible nature makes it especially useful in controlled experiments.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves analytical precision and chemical identification.
In textile and dyeing processes, it is used to adjust pH and assist in dye fixation or fiber treatment steps, where mild alkalinity is required to improve dye behavior without damaging delicate textile materials.
It is particularly useful in controlled finishing processes.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves fabric processing quality.
In pulp and paper recycling systems, it can be used to assist in ink removal and fiber separation processes, where mild alkalinity helps break down binding agents in printed materials, allowing cleaner recovery of cellulose fibers during recycling operations.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is part of deinking and reuse processes in paper industries.
This improves recycling efficiency and fiber recovery.
In industrial metal finishing and surface treatment, E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used to clean and prepare metal surfaces before plating or coating by removing light organic residues and forming temporary complexes with certain metal ions, which helps improve adhesion of subsequent protective or decorative coatings.
This is especially important in precision manufacturing and electronics industries.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves surface preparation and coating quality.
In gas scrubbing and emission control systems, ammonium hydroxide is used to neutralize acidic gases in industrial exhaust streams, where ammonia reacts with compounds like hydrogen chloride or sulfur oxides to form ammonium salts that can be captured and removed, reducing harmful emissions.
This helps improve air quality in controlled industrial environments.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves pollution control and emission reduction efficiency.
In chemical equilibrium studies and research laboratories, E527 Ammonium hydroxide is frequently used because it provides a classic example of a weak base equilibrium system, allowing scientists and students to study dissociation behavior, buffer formation, and complex ion chemistry in aqueous solutions under controlled conditions.
Its reversible chemistry makes it especially valuable in teaching fundamental chemical principles.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves scientific understanding of equilibrium systems.
In textile finishing and fiber treatment, E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used to adjust surface chemistry of fibers before dyeing or coating, ensuring that pH-sensitive dye molecules interact correctly with the fabric structure, which improves color uniformity and reduces uneven absorption during processing.
This is particularly important in delicate or synthetic textile systems.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves textile finishing quality and dye performance.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is a versatile but volatile weak base used across pH control, refrigeration systems, rubber stabilization, metal complexation, gas treatment, textile processing, and laboratory chemistry because of its reversible ammonia–water equilibrium, moderate alkalinity, and ability to form metal complexes and adjust reaction conditions without the permanence or aggressiveness of strong hydroxide bases.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide, is a hydrate of anunonia and exists in crystalline form at -79°C. Normally, it is only found in an aqueous solution also known as aquaanunonia and anunonia water.
It is prepared by dissolving NH3 inH20. Reagent grade anunonium hydroxide contains from 28 to 30% NH3 at 15.6 °C.
Industrial sales specify the concentration of NH3 in solution in terms of specific gravity.
Common concentrations are 20 °Be, which would bea concentration of 17.8% NH3 (specific gravity 0.933) and 26 °Be (specific gravity 0.897), or a concentration of 29.4% NH3.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is an excellent medium for the reaction of NH3 (which becomes the NH4 radical in solution) with other compounds for the preparation of anunonium salts and other nitrogen-containing chemicals. It is an ingredientin deodorants, etching compounds, and cleaning and bleaching materials.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide, as aqua ammonia, finds wide use as a neutralizing agent,because it is inexpensive and strongly alkaline.
Uses Of E527 Ammonium hydroxide:
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is widely utilized as a leavening agent or acidity regulator in food production.
It serves as a precursor to some alkyl amines and is also used in the tobacco industry for flavor enhancement and as a processing aid.
During furniture making, it combines with tannic acid and is used to darken or stain wood by making it iron salts.
In chemical laboratories, it used for qualitative inorganic analysis, as a complexant and as a base.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used to clean gold, silve, and platinum jewelry.
It is an active component of Tollens' reagent (consisting of a solution of silver nitrate and ammonia) and is used to determine the presence of aldehyde or alpha-hydroxy ketone functional groups.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used as a cleaning agent and sanitizer in many household and industrial cleaners.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is also used in the manufacture of products such as fertilizer, plastic, rayon and rubber.
Aqueous ammonia is corrosive to aluminum alloys, copper, copper alloys, and galvanized surfaces.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is an excellent acid neutralizer.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is mainly used as a mild alkaline solution, pH regulator, cleaning agent, and chemical processing aid because of its ability to provide reversible alkalinity, neutralize acids, and participate in coordination and dissolution reactions in aqueous systems.
In industrial cleaning and degreasing, it is used to remove grease, oil, and organic residues from glass, metals, and machinery surfaces.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves cleaning efficiency and surface preparation.
In chemical manufacturing, it is used as a reagent in synthesis reactions and as a nitrogen source in industrial chemical production.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves chemical reaction versatility.
In food processing (regulated use), it is used as a processing aid and pH control agent in limited applications such as caramel coloring production.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves controlled food manufacturing.
In water treatment systems, it is used for pH adjustment and neutralization in controlled processes.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves water quality management.
In metal processing, it is used in complexation and extraction reactions for certain metals.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves metal separation and purification.
In laboratory chemistry, it is used in titrations, buffer systems, and qualitative analysis of metal ions.
This improves analytical accuracy and experimental control.
In textile processing, it is used for pH control and fiber treatment in dyeing and finishing processes.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves fabric quality and processing control.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is mainly used as a mild alkaline agent, pH regulator, cleaning chemical, and industrial processing aid because it can adjust acidity, dissolve organic residues like grease, and participate in reversible ammonia–water equilibrium reactions that make it useful in controlled chemical systems.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used to remove grease, oils, proteins, and organic residues from glass, stainless steel, machinery, and laboratory equipment, because it can break down and solubilize many organic contaminants while evaporating easily and leaving minimal residue behind.
This improves cleaning efficiency and surface preparation quality.
In chemical manufacturing, it is used as a reagent in synthesis processes and as a nitrogen source in the production of chemicals such as fertilizers, dyes, pharmaceuticals, and various inorganic and organic compounds.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves industrial chemical production flexibility.
In water and wastewater treatment, it is used for controlled pH adjustment and neutralization of acidic streams, where its mild alkalinity allows fine tuning of reaction conditions without introducing strong corrosive effects.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves water treatment control and process stability.
In food processing (regulated use only), E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used as a processing aid and pH control agent in limited applications such as caramel color production, where it helps regulate reaction conditions without remaining as a significant component in the final product.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves controlled food manufacturing processes.
In rubber and latex industries, it is used to stabilize natural latex by maintaining an alkaline environment that prevents premature coagulation during storage and transport before final processing.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves latex stability and manufacturing efficiency.
In metal processing and surface treatment, it is used for cleaning and preparing metal surfaces before coating, plating, or finishing by removing light contaminants and assisting in metal ion complexation.
This improves coating adhesion and surface quality.
In textile processing, it is used to adjust pH during dyeing and finishing operations, ensuring proper dye uptake and improving color uniformity on fibers without causing strong material damage.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves fabric quality and dye performance.
In gas treatment and emission control systems, it is used to neutralize acidic gases such as hydrogen chloride and sulfur compounds in industrial exhaust streams, forming ammonium salts that can be removed from the system.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves air pollution reduction and environmental compliance.
In laboratory chemistry, it is widely used in titrations, buffer systems, and qualitative analysis of metal ions due to its ability to form complex ions and provide reversible weak base behavior.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide improves analytical accuracy and experimental control.
In refrigeration systems (industrial use), ammonia-based solutions are used in certain cooling applications because ammonia has favorable thermodynamic properties for heat absorption and transfer in large-scale refrigeration systems.
This improves cooling efficiency in industrial environments.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is used across cleaning, chemical manufacturing, water treatment, latex stabilization, metal processing, textile finishing, gas scrubbing, refrigeration, and laboratory analysis, mainly because of its mild, reversible alkalinity and ability to dissolve contaminants, adjust pH, and participate in coordination chemistry without the extreme corrosiveness of strong alkalis.
Safety Profile Of E527 Ammonium hydroxide:
A human poison by ingestion an experimental poison by inhalation and ingestion.
A severe eye irritant human systemic irritant effects by ocular and inhalation routes.
Mutation data reported incompatible with acrolein, nitromethane, acrylic acid, chlorosulfonic acid, dimethyl sulfate, halogens, (Au + aqua regia), HCl, HF, HNO3, oleum, ppropiolactone, propylene oxide, AgNO3, Ag2O, (Ag20 + C2H5OH), AgMn04, H2SO4. Dangerous; liquid can inflict burns. Use with adequate ventilation.
When heated to decomposition it emits NH3 and NO2.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide is considered a moderately to highly hazardous chemical, primarily because it releases ammonia gas, which is irritating, toxic at higher concentrations, and highly volatile, making exposure risks dependent on both concentration and ventilation conditions.
Although it is weaker than strong hydroxides, it still requires careful handling due to its corrosive and irritant effects.
This requires proper industrial safety precautions.
The most common hazard is eye, skin, and respiratory irritation, where exposure to liquid or ammonia vapors can cause burning sensations, redness, coughing, and discomfort, and in more concentrated exposures it may cause more serious tissue irritation or damage.
Eye exposure is particularly dangerous and may require immediate rinsing and medical attention.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide makes direct exposure a significant safety risk.
Inhalation of ammonia vapors can cause respiratory tract irritation and breathing difficulty, including coughing, throat irritation, chest discomfort, and in high concentrations, potential lung damage due to the corrosive nature of ammonia gas in moist tissues.
This is a major occupational hazard in poorly ventilated areas.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide requires strong ventilation and respiratory protection.
Skin contact may cause chemical irritation or burns in concentrated solutions, especially with prolonged exposure, although it is generally less aggressive than strong alkalis like sodium or potassium hydroxide.
Repeated exposure may still lead to dermatitis or skin sensitivity.
E527 Ammonium hydroxide requires protective gloves and handling precautions.
Ingestion is hazardous and can cause burning of the mouth, throat, and digestive tract, along with nausea, abdominal pain, and systemic toxicity in severe cases, requiring immediate medical attention.
