Ammonium sulfate, (NH4)2SO4, is an inorganic salt with a number of commercial uses. It is a brownish-grey to white crystalline salt, commonly use in soil fertilizer. It contains 21% nitrogen as ammonium cations, and 24% sulfur as sulfate anions. In fertilizer the purpose of the sulfate is to reduce the soil pH.
It is used largely as an artificial fertilizer for alkaline soils. Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (> 9), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. In the soil, the sulfate ion is released and forms an acid sulphate, lowering the pH balance of the soil, while contributing essential nitrogen for plant growth.
It is also used as an agricultural spray that prevents or removes water soluble insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. There it functions to bind iron and calcium cations that are present in both well water and plant cells.
It is also used in the preparation of other ammonium salts.
These are 2 products. The picture on the left shows a bottle of Scotts Agricultural Sprays, while the picture on the right shows Scotts Fertilizers. Both product contains ammonium sulphate; and these product can be found at supermarkets. The product that contains ammonium sulphate are usually products that are meant for plantation purposes. They are not edible as they are treatment products.
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