cjh - 4-7-2006 at 21:39
will CO2 gas or NH3 dissolve in water??
enhzflep - 4-7-2006 at 22:59
Whaddya think?
What do you think the bubbles in fizzy drinks are?
Why do you think so many window cleaning products smell like Ammonia?
YT2095 - 5-7-2006 at 02:31
NH3 will undergo a change in water though, to become NH4OH, so does it dissolve exactly?
CO2 on the other hand remains largely unchanged in water (if we ignore minute amounts of carbonic acid).
so I`m not sure entirely if the OP is asking a trick question or wishing to be spoonfed? 
enhzflep - 5-7-2006 at 02:57
Very true YT2095. Didn't have my bifoculs on and overlooked that. 
In retrospect, I was rather rude.
Just out of curiosity, do you know if ammonium hydroxide is formed at the interface of the gas/liquid, or if it is in fact, dissolved first before
equilibrium sets in and it reacts?
YT2095 - 5-7-2006 at 03:53
I have no idea in all honesty, I know it`s Very fast and "Hungry" when the 2 Do meet, often the cause of sucking up water back into the reaction
vessel on many an occasion unless a gas trap is made (usualy an inverted funnel in shallow water helps).
unionised - 5-7-2006 at 10:52
"NH3 will undergo a change in water though, to become NH4OH"
No, it doesn't; it never did and it never will. practically all of it just dissolves. All the bottles with "Ammonium hydroxide" on them should be
recycled (except for a few kept in museums)
Rather more of the CO2 will react to give carbonate and carbonic acid.
YT2095 - 5-7-2006 at 23:48
ok, Now I`m confused???
so This: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/a5916.htm
or This: http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/AM/ammonium_hydroxide.html
doesn`t exist then?
and NH3 undergoes no change in water?
edit: also what would you suggest it be writen as if NH4OH isn`t correct?
then only thing I can think of would be NH3(aq) like in HCl(aq).
[Edited on 6-7-2006 by YT2095]
unionised - 6-7-2006 at 09:55
Ammonia isn't a strrong base. Most of it just disolves as NH3(aq). Some of it ionises but the ammonium ions and the hydroxyl ions formed don't
particularly hang out together. Ammonium hydroxide as such doesn't exist (it might do in some obscure set of conditions at low tempertaures under
pressure or some such but that's not the point).
You can dissolve about 33% of ammonia in water at room temperature. If you pretend that it forms a hydroxide you get roughly 68% "ammonium hydroxide"
Since 68% looks better than 33% the manufacturers chose that description of their product.
If it really formed ammonium hydroxide then the ions would conduct electricity. Ammonia solution would be roughly as good a conductor as potassium
hydroxide (the ions are about the same size and charge). It isn't.