Question

How will you prepare the following?
Ammonium sulphate from ammonium hydroxide.

Answer 1

To solve this question, we must first understand about the product, i.e. ammonium sulphate and one of the reactants, i.e. ammonium hydroxide. Once we understand the chemical properties of these two substituents, we can find the other substituents used to complete this reaction.

Complete Step-by-Step Answer:
Before we move forward with the solution of the given question, let us first understand some important basic concepts.
Ammonia and ammonium hydroxide are quite different compounds. Ammonium hydroxide is formed when ammonia is added to water. This compound is also commonly known as ammonia water or aqua ammonia. Ammonium hydroxide is a weak base. Hence, the degree of dissociation of the ammonium and hydroxide ions is very less.
To form ammonium sulphate from ammonium hydroxide, we need to obtain the ammonium ion from one compound and the sulphate ion from another compound to form ammonium sulphate. The ammonium ion is taken from ammonium hydroxide. As for the sulphate ion, one compound that can be used is lead sulphate.
The reaction between ammonium hydroxide and lead sulphate causes a double displacement reaction. A double displacement reaction can be explained as a reaction in which the ions of the reacting compounds exchange among themselves to form new compounds. In this particular case, the ammonium and sulphate ions combine to form ammonium sulphate, while the hydroxide and the lead ions combine to form lead hydroxide. The complete and balanced chemical equation for this reaction can be given as:
$PbS{O_4} + 2N{H_4}OH \to {(N{H_4})_2}S{O_4} + Pb{(OH)_2}$

Note: Ammonium sulphate is widely used as fertilizer for soils that are alkaline in nature. In the soil the ammonium ion is released and forms a small amount of acid, lowering the pH balance of the soil, while contributing essential nitrogen for plant growth.