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Glite Dictionary
ammonium hydroxide

ammonium hydroxide

5.8
A liquid made by mixing ammonia with water used for cleaning and lab work
  • noun
  • /əˈmɒn.i.əm haɪˈdrɒk.saɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hidróxido de amonio
  • Concentrated ammonium hydroxide was added to raise the pH of the solution to 10.

Examples

  • A common use of ammonium hydroxide is as a powerful cleaning agent in various household products.

  • To create a more effective cleaning solution, we mixed water with ammonium hydroxide.

  • It's full of ammonium hydroxide.

    The Mosquito Coast (1986)

  • In the lab, we diluted ammonium hydroxide to safely adjust the pH of the solution.

Synonyms

ammonia
vsammonium hydroxide
41 3.8

A strong-smelling gas used in cleaning products and fertilizers

is specifically the aqueous form used mainly for cleaning and chemical processes
ammonia water
vsammonium hydroxide
  • Specialized
3.7

A clear, strong-smelling liquid used for cleaning and in chemistry

is the same aqueous solution but often referred to by a different chemical name

Surface Forms

ammonium hydroxide singular
ammonium hydroxides plural

Morphology

ammonium + hydroxide

The name directly combines the two constituents: 'ammonium' + 'hydroxide' signals the hydroxide (basic) form related to ammonium, so a learner who knows those words can reasonably infer it refers to a basic/aqueous chemical solution. Chemical naming conventions are compositional and cross-linguistically consistent, making the meaning predictable rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

The chemical name ammonium hydroxide simply tells you what it is: ammonium comes from 'ammonia', a strong-smelling gas named long ago after the temple of Ammon, and hydroxide shows it comes from the water side of the chemical. So the name gives a clear picture, a watery form of ammonia, which is why ammonium hydroxide means an ammonia solution used for cleaning and in labs.