Abstract Through the analysis of the development process of the concept of ammonia, it is the first alkaline gas discovered by people. In the 18th century, Priestley collected ammonia through mercury discharge and gas gathering method, Berthollet revealed that ammonia was a hydronitrogen, formed the concept of macroscopic representation of ammonia. In the 19th century, the establishment of atom-molecule theory made ammonia form the concept of microscopic representation and symbolic representation at the atomic and molecular levels; In the 20th century, the development of material structure theory had made the microscopic characterization of ammonia more in-depth and the symbolic characterization more perfect. In the 1930s, the discovery and application of ND3 and 15NH3 led to a new understanding of the concept of ammonia.The discovery of ammonia and the historical evolution of its triple representation are not only the process of the formation and development of the concept of ammonia, but also the process of the development of scientific methods and thoughts.
WU Lin-Xiu, YUAN Zhen-Dong. From ND3 to 15NH3: Discovery of Ammonia and Historical Evolution of Its Triple Representation[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2024, 45(3): 123-128.
