Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-08-16
Ammonia.

The wholesale price of concentrated
liquid ammonia, says the Scientific
American, has recently advanced
from 81 cents a pound to 8 cents, and
at this writing it is extremely diff
cult to get enough to supply the de-
mand even at that price. The inn
mediate cause of this great advance
in price is due to the Unexpectedly
large orders from the manufacturers
of artificial ice which have been re-
ceived during the last few weeks.
The ammonia which is used in
ice making is obtained from what is
known as gas liquor, and is produced
in the process of carbOnizati0n of coal
oil in gas manufacturing. At this
season of the year only about 40 per
cent of the amount of gas liquor is TO
be had which is available in win
ter, owing to the decreased consump-
ton of gas in summer. The laws of
several States require gas companies
to remove the ammonia from their
product, as it greatly improves its
quality, but it has only been within
recent years that the element thus
obtained has been utilized for the
production of fine ammonia, which
is now in such great demand that
manufacturers find themselves total
ly unable to supply it. Still another
cause exists for the scarcity of ammo
mia, and that is the changing of a
large number of companies from the
carbOnizatiOn of coal in the produce
ton of Illuminating gas to the max
ing Of what is known as water gas.
In the latter process no ammOniacal
liquor is produced, and thus a pro-
ductive source of supply of the raw
material for the manufacture of con-
centrated ammonia has been entirely
cut off.
Very ingenious machinery is used
in extracting the ammoniacal liquor
from the gas, and the former is then
disposed Of to chemical companies,
who subject it to IA special course Of
treatment to prepare it for general
use.
Sulphate of ammonia is produced
by the authorization of bone and ami
NAL matter, but this product is gener
ally employed as a fertilizer. Aqua
ammonia has been made from the
salt, but not to any great extent, anC
it so happens that the supply of tht
sulphate is short, even in foreign
lands, where manufacturers have
vainly attempted to supply them
selves with the much coveted article
Ammonia, also familiarity known al
hartshorn, is said to be one of thu
few substances known to the chemis
try of the ancients, referred to by Pliny
under the name Of vehement odOr
which he evolved by mixing limt
with nitrum or what was probably
sal afnmoniac. The name ammonia
was given in ancient times because O
the fact that sal ammoniac was orig
inally obtained by heating camel
dung in Libya, near the temple o
Jupiter Ammon.
Ice manufacturers say that SOM
other source of supply must be founC
for crude ammonia, as the demand
from the producers of artificial ic
will greatly increase. 1t is said tina
ammonia can be obtained in larg
quantities from shale, which is a kim
Of slate found in Pennsylvania, speci
mems of which are sometimes fount
mixed with coal. 1t is claimed, how
ever, by those who are usually de
pended upon to supply concentrate,
ammonia, that with winter suppl.
of gas they will have little difficult,
in meeting the demand, which i
wholly phenomenal at this time
owing to the large number of ice
making machines which have recent
ly been set up.