Ammonia (1959)

This educational film explores the chemistry of ammonia (NH3) and its solutions in water, known as ammonia water or ammonium hydroxide solution. It covers the laboratory preparation of ammonia gas, its reactions, and the properties and reactions of its aqueous solution. The film demonstrates how to identify ammonia gas through its basic nature using indicators like methyl red and phenolphthalein, which change color in its presence.

The process of generating ammonia gas in the laboratory from ammonium salts and strong bases like sodium hydroxide is shown, along with the reactions that produce ammonia and the subsequent testing for its presence using color-changing indicators. The film also discusses the chemical understanding of ammonia’s interaction with water, shifting from the traditional view of ammonium hydroxide dissociation to a more accurate representation of ammonia reacting with water to form ammonium and hydroxide ions.

Experiments in the film illustrate ammonia’s solubility in water, its inability to burn in air but capability to burn in oxygen, forming water vapor and nitrogen, and its reaction with hydrogen chloride to produce ammonium chloride. Additionally, the film examines the use of ammonia water as a precipitating agent, showing its reactions with various metal chloride solutions to form insoluble hydroxides, and how the presence of ammonium chloride affects these reactions.

The film concludes with a detailed look at the reaction between ammonia water and copper sulfate solution, demonstrating the formation and dissolution of copper hydroxide precipitate, and the formation of a copper-ammonia complex ion, providing a comprehensive view of ammonia’s chemical behavior and its practical applications in the laboratory.

We digitized and uploaded this film from the A/V Geeks 16mm Archive. Email us at footage@avgeeks.com if you have questions about the footage and are interested in using it in your project.