Does ammonia melt ice

Answer 1

yes it does melt ice

yes it does melt ice

yes it does melt ice

yes it does melt ice

Please note that ammonia LOWERS the freezing point of water; at a certain (somewhat colder) temperature, the ammonia / water mixture will still freeze.

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Ammonia mixed with water is NOT an example of a chemical reaction at all.

NOT endothermic and NOT exothermic.

WHY? A chemical reaction occurs when the chemicals you start with are different from the ones you end up with: not a state change, but an identity change.

(from here on, substitute the word AMMONIA instead of KCl or potassium chloride; the text is borrowed from a similar answer with the same concept)

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After the KCl and water are mixed, you still have KCl and water.

This is NOT a chemical reaction.

Why does the temperature decrease?

FREEZING POINT DEPRESSION and melting point elevation often occur when substances are mixed.

In the situation described by the other respondent, the water immediately got colder when KCl was added. This is because the water was at its freezing/ melting point, in a cold room; when the water gets cold enough, it will all crystallize into a solid - frozen - crystalline matrix. BUT when the KCl (or salt, or any of a variety of substances) is added, this interferes with the crystallization process, so that more heat energy must be lost in order for the molecules to lock into their crystalline matrix. THEREFORE in that particular situation, the water was first mostly frozen with some liquid areas remaining at a low temperature...then KCl was added, and the crystals were broken apart, more able to release heat/ vibrate until a new freezing point, colder than before, is reached.

Research freezing point depression for more information.

Answer 2

Yes, ammonia can accelerate the melting of ice due to its high heat capacity and exothermic nature. When applied to ice, ammonia releases heat, causing the ice to melt faster. However, ammonia can be harmful if ingested or inhaled, so caution should be exercised when using it for this purpose.