[TheForge] Re:Sal Ammoniac for flux

Fri Sep 20 22:07:02 2002

Just one safety caution for ammonium chloride. While I would largely agree 
with Bruce's safety assessment, you should be very careful not to mix with 
water if you have a large quantity. The reaction is violent and produces 
large quantities of HCL gas. It is also pretty tough on the hands. I can 
attest to this from an accident many years ago in undergraduate chemistry lab.

Best Regards,
Court

At 04:17 PM 9/20/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>It's true, but overstated.  Sal ammoniac is ammonium chloride.  It can 
>decompose on heating to ammonia and hydrogen chloride, the latter of which 
>picks up water to form muriatic acid.  Both of these are corrosive, but 
>neither is acutely toxic.  Not to say a lungful couldn't do you 
>considerable damage.  It's a question of quantity.  You should always 
>solder in a well ventillated area.  If you do that, you're not going to be 
>injured by using sal ammoniac flux.
>
>Bruce
>NJ
>
> >>> Bob Evarts <[email protected]> 09/20/02 04:00PM >>>
>I don't know if it's true or not, but I've heard that the fumes that form
>when Sal Ammoniac is heated are extremely toxic.
>
>
>
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