Ammonium oxalate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . Its formula is often written as or . It is an ammonium salt of oxalic acid. It consists of ammonium cations () and oxalate anions (). The structure of ammonium oxalate is . Ammonium oxalate sometimes comes as a monohydrate (). It is a colorless or white salt under standard conditions and is odorless and non-volatile. It occurs in many plants and vegetables.
Vertebrate
It is produced in the body of
by
metabolism of
glyoxylic acid or
ascorbic acid. It is not metabolized but excreted in the urine.
[National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database; CID 14213 (accessed 15 November 2016).] It is a constituent of some types of
kidney stone.
[ The International Pharmacopoeia, p.1292, Volume 1, World Health Organization, 2006 .][N G Coley, "The collateral sciences in the work of Golding Bird (1814–1854)", Medical History, iss.4, vol.13, October 1969, pp.372.] It is also found in
guano.
Mineralogy
Oxammite is a natural mineral form of ammonium oxalate. This mineral is extremely rare. It is an
organic mineral derived from
guano.
Chemistry
Ammonium oxalate is used as an analytical reagent and general reducing agent.
It and other oxalates are used as
, to preserve blood outside the body.
Earth sciences
Acid ammonium oxalate (ammonium oxalate acidified to pH 3 with
oxalic acid) is commonly employed in soil chemical analysis to extract
iron and
aluminium from poorly-crystalline minerals (such as
ferrihydrite), iron(II)-bearing minerals (such as
magnetite) and organic matter.
