Ammonium bisulfate
Ammonium bisulfate, also known as ammonium hydrogen sulfate, is a white, crystalline solid with the formula HSO4. It is the product of the half-neutralization of sulfuric acid by ammonia.Production
It is commonly collected as a byproduct of the "acetone cyanohydrin route" to the commodity chemical methyl methacrylate.
It can also be obtained by hydrolysis of sulfamic acid in aqueous solution, which produces the salt in high purity:
It also arises by the thermal decomposition of ammonium sulfate:Applications
It can be further neutralized with ammonia to form ammonium sulfate, a valuable fertilizer. It can be used as a weaker alternative to sulfuric acid, although sodium bisulfate is much more common.
