Editing Smelling salts (section)

== Usage ==
The usual active compound is [[ammonium carbonate]]—a colorless-to-white, [[crystalline]] [[solid]] ((NH<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>).<ref name="BJSM" /> Because most modern solutions are mixed with water, they should properly be called "aromatic spirits of ammonia".<ref name="BJSM" /> Modern solutions may also contain other products to perfume or act in conjunction with the [[ammonia]], such as [[lavender oil]] or [[eucalyptus oil]].<ref>{{cite web |date=March 2007 |title=Mackenzies Smelling Salts |url=http://emc.medicines.org.uk/emc/assets/c/html/DisplayDoc.asp?DocumentID=4379 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716024342/http://emc.medicines.org.uk/emc/assets/c/html/DisplayDoc.asp?DocumentID=4379 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 16, 2012 |access-date=2009-01-03 |publisher=Electronic Medicines Compendium}}</ref>

Historically, smelling salts have been used on people feeling [[Syncope (medicine)|faint]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://weddings.usabride.com/wedding-planning-advice/how-not-to-faint-at-the-altar/ |title=How not to faint at the altar |last=Colburn |first=Dareth |publisher=USA Bride |access-date=2016-06-17 |archive-date=2016-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812202354/http://weddings.usabride.com/wedding-planning-advice/how-not-to-faint-at-the-altar/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=Oxford University Press |work=Compact Oxford English Dictionary |title=Smelling Salts |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/smelling-salts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201014418/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/smelling-salts|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 1, 2015}}</ref><ref name="scifun">{{cite web |last=Shakhashiri |title=Chemical of the week – Ammonia |url=http://www.scifun.org/chemweek/PDF/Ammonia.pdf |publisher=University of Wisconsin-Madison |access-date=2010-05-24 |date=2008-02-01 |archive-date=2011-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721174430/http://www.scifun.org/chemweek/PDF/Ammonia.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> or who have fainted. They are usually administered by others but may be self-administered.

Smelling salts are often used on athletes who have been dazed or knocked unconscious to restore consciousness and mental alertness.<ref name="BJSM" /> Smelling salts are now banned in most boxing competitions because of the concern that their effect could mask a more serious injury.<ref name="goodchild-donaldson">{{cite journal|last1=Goodchild|first1=Jason H. |last2=Donaldson |first2=Mark |title=Is it time to omit ammonia inhalants from dental emergency kits?|journal=General Dentistry|year=2022|issue=July/August|pages=6–9|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361673446}}</ref>

They are also used as a form of stimulant in athletic competitions (such as [[powerlifting]], [[Strongman (strength athlete)|strong man]], [[Rugby football|rugby]] and [[ice hockey]]) to "wake up" competitors to perform better.<ref name="BJSM" /><ref name="BBC1" /> In 2005, [[Michael Strahan]] estimated that 70–80% of [[National Football League]] players were using smelling salts as stimulants.<ref name="FTU">{{cite news |title=Investigation: Ammonia sniffing popular in NFL |url=http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/020305/sup_17863663.shtml |access-date=29 September 2016 |work=[[Florida Times-Union]] |date=February 3, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502192805if_/http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/020305/sup_17863663.shtml#.VyeqV9zLeSA |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-05-02}}</ref>