moleculeoftheday:

Ammonia (NH₃) is a
binary compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. Commonly found in nature, it exists
as a pungent, colourless gas under standard conditions, but is often sold as a solution in water. It is one of the most
widely produced chemicals in the world, with 146 million tonnes being produced
in 2016 alone.

Ammonia is a weak
base, with a pK_b of 4.75; it can reversibly react with water to produce ammonium and hydroxide ions.

NH₃ + H₂O ⇌ NH₄⁺ + OH^–

Due to the equilibrium shown above, solutions containing ammonia and
ammonium ions are commonly used as buffer solutions, which resist pH changes upon addition of small amounts of acids or bases.

At the same time, ammonia can also act as an
acid with very strong bases and reactive metals. For example, sodium metal
reacts with ammonia to produce sodium amide, a strong base:

2 Na + 2 NH₃

→

2 NaNH₂ + H₂

With its lone pair, ammonia can also coordinate
to metal ions, resulting in colourful metal ion complexes, such as the deep
blue tetraamminecopper(II) ion:

Ammonia is a versatile starting block for many
chemical and fertiliser industries, as it offers a convenient way to introduce
a nitrogen atom into a molecule. Being a nucleophile, it can participate in nucleophilic
substitution and addition-elimination reactions, a useful trait that is
exploited in many chemical syntheses. For example, the first step in the
Strecker amino acid synthesis, which allowed chemists to synthesise amino acids
for the first time instead of extracting it from organic material, involves the
usage of ammonia to convert an aldehyde into an imine.

Ammonia is industrially produced by the Haber
process, in which nitrogen is reacted with hydrogen under moderate temperature
and high pressure in the presence of a catalyst to produce ammonia according to
the following equation:

N₂ + 3
H₂ ⇌ 2 NH₃

As the reaction is reversible, the reaction
mixture is then cooled to condense the ammonia, and the leftover hydrogen and
nitrogen is pumped back into the reactor to participate in the reaction again,
thus maximising yield.

Ammonia is a metabolic waste from the digestion of
proteins and other nitrogen-containing products, and is excreted through the
urine. It is also produced from the decomposition of tissues.

While ammonia is present in many tissues, it is
metabolised into urea rapidly in the liver via the urea cycle, as urea is much
less toxic and basic, and the buildup of ammonia can result in liver cirrhosis.

spicynipple:

just-shower-thoughts:

I know chemistry can explain it but its freaky that Hydrogen is explosively flammable and Oxygen is needed for any fire to burn but stick them together and the resulting liquid puts fires out. Chemistry is amazing

how about having Sodium by itself is highly toxic meanwhile chlorine is poisonous gas but mix that together you get table salt! CHEMISTRY HAS FUCKED ME UP

moleculeoftheday:

Methamphetamine (C₁₀H₁₅N), also known as meth or crystal meth, is a
colourless liquid at room temperature. It is more commonly encountered as the
hydrochloride salt (C₁₀H₁₅N.HCl), which is a white solid under standard
conditions. It is a central nervous system stimulant, and is used as a
recreational drug.

Methamphetamine acts as an agonist at trace
amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1), resulting in the release of cyclic
adenosine monophosphate. This causes dopamine and noradrenaline transporters to
reverse the movement of dopamine and noradrenaline through them; instead of
taking them up from the synapse, it releases them from the cell. Furthermore,
it inhibits monoamine oxidase (MAO), which normally breaks down dopamine and
noradrenaline.

The resultant increase in dopamine and
noradrenaline in the synapse causes the corresponding receptors on the
postsynaptic membrane to be stimulated to a greater extent, resulting in
feelings of euphoria, increased alertness, and a raised heart rate.

Methamphetamine, however, has a high risk of
addiction. The high levels of dopamine and noradrenaline can result in
tolerance by the body as the postsynaptic neuron reduces the number of
receptors to modulate the stimulus. A protein called ΔFosB is also produced in
the neurons, resulting in the increased transcription of certain genes,
producing addictive behaviour.

As ΔFosB is degraded much more slowly than
related proteins, it accumulates upon regular consumption of methamphetamine,
resulting in increasing levels of addiction.

Methamphetamine also produces a range of side
effects such as loss of appetite, dry skin, acne, insomnia, irregular
heartbeat, psychosis, scratching of the skin, as well as loss of teeth. An
overdose can also result in tremors, hyperthermia, cerebral haemorrhaging,
kidney failure, circulatory collapse, coma, and death. (Below: before/after
methamphetamine consumption)

It has been used as a treatment for
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity, albeit rarely due to its
significant drawbacks compared to other existing treatments for these
conditions. One of its isomers, levomethamphetamine (below left), is also used
in nasal decongestant sprays as it results in vasoconstriction. Unlike its
optical isomer, dextromethamphetamine (below right), it does not result in
addiction and dependence.

Methamphetamine can be easily synthesised from
the condensation of phenylacetone with methylamine, followed by reductive
amination:

Note: This post is intended to examine the compound from a chemical/medical
point of view for educational purposes, and does not endorse drug abuse in any
way.