The Wonders of NH3

One time at work we had to test some containers to see if the coating on the inside would absorb ammonia. To do this, we put some ammonium hydroxide in the container and looked at the gas analyzer to see how quickly the levels of ammonia went back to being normal. We did this in the growth chambers in the Widtsoe Building on campus. By the time we took the lid off the ammonia hydroxide, put one drop in the container with an eye dropper and closed the bottle, the room was filled with the suffocating smell of ammonia. We ran out of the room as fast as we could.

I don't know why I didn't think about this experience as I stood in front of the different types of anti-itch stuff. There were various chemicals made for rubbing on your skin. I saw one that was liquid, whose application was the only one that did not include getting it all over your fingers. Since I was buying this at the BYU bookstore and planned to be putting this stuff all over my legs for the next couple of days, I figured this would be the best choice. After receiving about 20 mosquito bites Sunday night, my focus was only on getting relief as quickly as possible, so I spent very little time contemplating the exact contents of these products. As I ripped open the little box and began to rub it over the red welts, the previous experience rushed to my mind as the fumes of ammonia, which turns out to be the active ingredient of this product, reached my olfactory receptors.

It is for this reason I am walking around reeking of ammonia. So much for getting a date the first week of school...