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Ammonium acetate is a versatile metal salt used in the production of synthetic polymers, textiles, food preservation, and pharmaceuticals. It can also be used as a buffer solution and gelling or foaming agent in rubber latex production. However, its use as a de-icing agent can have negative environmental effects.
Ammonium acetate is a metal salt that takes the form of a white crystalline solid at room temperature and has both weak acid and weak base properties, making it useful in a variety of industries. It is used in the production of synthetic polymers, such as in the manufacture of rayon and vinyl plastic fibers, and as a metal mordant or fixative compound in textile dyeing and printing. In the food industry, ammonium acetate is also used to preserve meat, and high-quality versions of the compound are used to make common pharmaceuticals such as insulin and penicillin. Because of its diversity of uses, it is commercially available as a crystalline powder or in a solution of water at concentrations usually of 50% and 57.5%.
One of the main dangers that the use of ammonium acetate poses when it is used as a de-icing agent for road surfaces or aircraft. While inexpensive in raw form and considered biodegradable, it is a salt form of nitrogen that can easily leach into soil and groundwater, adversely affecting vegetation. The compound’s health risks are considered fairly minor, however, and include mild skin and eye irritation upon contact, as well as causing limited respiratory or gastrointestinal irritation if inhaled or ingested.
Another common use for dissolved ammonium acetate is as a buffer solution as it normally has a pH in the 7 range which is right in the middle of the overall pH range, with levels below 7 being acidic and levels from above 7 up to 14 be considered basic compounds. This mirrors the pH of water, also rated 7, and both water and ammonium acetate are compounds used to buffer or maintain the pH of other chemicals at current levels even when additional acidic or basic materials are added . Buffering agents are important in many industries such as food processing, industrial detergent manufacturing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
In the production of rubber latex, ammonium acetate is used as a gelling or foaming agent, which serves to trap air bubbles within the latex as it cures. This makes it primarily useful in the production of foam rubber compounds as opposed to the firmer types of industrial strength rubber. Foam rubber is widely used in packaging and insulation, as well as for decorative hats and costumes, or as a durable sponge-like sports equipment and cushioning materials used in sofas, beds, and chairs.
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