ammonium carbonate
noun
: a carbonate of ammonium
specifically
: the commercial mixture of the bicarbonate and carbamate used especially in smelling salts
Examples of ammonium carbonate in a Sentence
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The moths could rest among them before a jar of ammonium carbonate, also known as smelling salts or baker’s ammonia, hidden at the bottom of the bucket, killed them.
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Madeline Bodin, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
This includes the salts that form bright spots — and possibly have an aquatic origin — and ammonium carbonate deposits that indicate the presence of ammonia, most frequently found in the Neptune and Uranus systems and the Kuiper Belt.
—John Wenz, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2016
Thankfully, though, ammonium carbonate decomposes when heated into two chemicals: carbon dioxide, which leavens the dough, and ammonia, which dissipates, leaving no aroma behind in the finished product.
—Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2021
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Madeline Bodin, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
This includes the salts that form bright spots — and possibly have an aquatic origin — and ammonium carbonate deposits that indicate the presence of ammonia, most frequently found in the Neptune and Uranus systems and the Kuiper Belt.
—John Wenz, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2016
Thankfully, though, ammonium carbonate decomposes when heated into two chemicals: carbon dioxide, which leavens the dough, and ammonia, which dissipates, leaving no aroma behind in the finished product.
—Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Ammonium carbonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ammonium%20carbonate. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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