family crystals depends on the chemical bonding behavior of the crystal constituents in aqueous solution, which are sensitive to solution conditions. We applied in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy combined with a morphology-evolution calibration to declare the structural dynamics of NH 4 + and H 2 PO 4 2 during the NH 4 H 2 PO 4 crystallization in aqueous solution with different concentrations and pH values. For unsaturated NH 4 H 2 PO 4 solution, both the H 2 PO 4 2 stretching vibration mode and NH 4 + bending vibration mode are enhanced with increasing concentration. When the NH 4 H 2 PO 4 solution becomes a saturated and then supersaturated and crystalline state, H 2 PO 4 2 ions undergo hydrated dimerisation and polymerisation, which can be recorded by the appearance and red shift of the P-O … H-O-P in-plane bending vibration mode from 1250 to 1263 cm 21 . During this process, hydrated NH 4 + ions bind to the (H 2 PO 4 2 ) n frame, reflected by the splitting of the HN 4 + bending vibration mode at 1450 and 1400 cm 21 . For the supersaturated NH 4 H 2 PO 4 solution, HPO 4 22 and H 2 PO 4 2 coexist in solution with increasing pH value up to 6.64, whereas H 3 PO 4 and H 2 PO 4 2 coexist with decreasing pH value down to 1.52. Such an in situ recording strategy is of particular value in studying system dynamics, and in general to monitor the solution concentrations and compositions before and during the crystallization process.