Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Making Ammonium carbonate from hydrocarbonate

schleerblitz - 6-6-2020 at 04:32

Hi everyone! I've just seen a video from explosions and fire, who used ammonium carbonate(along with lots of other stuff) to make some pretty good explosives. I would like to try and make them myself, but the first material, that I just can't acquire is ammonium carbonate(NH4(2)CO3). I was thinking about making it by reacting carbonated water with an ammonia solution, but I don't have any ammonia, and I don't think that is possible. So, I looked online, and one of the shops near me is selling ammonium hydrocarbonate(NH4HCO3). So, my question would be whether I can make ammonium carbonate from it, or not, and, if I can, how? Thanks to everyone for any help.
The link to his video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a60UewomiCg

Tsjerk - 6-6-2020 at 04:40

You can make ammonium carbonate from ammonium hydrocarbonate with ammonia. And you can make ammonia from ammonium hydrocarbonate and for example sodium hydroxide.

Edit: in the video you linked the guy talks about bicarbonate, which is hydrocarbonate.

[Edited on 6-6-2020 by Tsjerk]

schleerblitz - 7-6-2020 at 12:36

Thank you for your help! Yes, I did not notice, that he said ammonium bicarbonate.