Description

Ammonium sulfate is an inorganic salt with a number of commercial uses. The most common use is as a soil fertilizer. It contains *1% nitrogen as ammonium cations, and *4% 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. In the soil the sulfate ion is released and forms bisulfate, lowering the pH balance of the soil (as do other sulfate compounds such as aluminium sulfate), while contributing essential nitrogen for plant growth.