Ammonia: A Versatile Reagent in Organic Chemistry

Introduction

At standard temperature and pressure ammonia (NH₃) is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odor and is easily liquified. In addition to being used as a solvent in the form of liquid ammonia, it is very commonly employed as an aqueous solution or a gas. Ammonia has become a very important and versatile reagent used in organic chemistry. It is employed in a great variety of chemical reactions as Birch reductions, [1] Ugi reactions, [2] dechlorinations [1] and promotes a great series of important chemical transformations, such as Sonogashira coupling, [3] fragmentation of carbolactones [4] and many others. The ­examples below highlight the importance and great ­versatility of this reagent in organic synthesis.

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