Ammonium nitrate

Ammonium nitrate

IUPAC name	Ammonium nitrate
Identifiers
CAS number	[6484-52-2]
RTECS number	BR9050000
Properties
Molecular formula	NH₄NO₃
Molar mass	80. IUPAC Nomenclature is a system of naming Chemical compounds and of describing the science of Chemistry in general CAS registry numbers are unique numerical identifiers for Chemical compounds Polymers biological sequences mixtures and Alloys They are also referred to Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances ( RTECS) is a Database of Toxicity information compiled from the open scientific literature without reference A chemical formula is a way of expressing information about the Atoms that constitute a particular Chemical compound, and how the relationship between those atoms changes Molar mass, symbol M, is the Mass of one mole of a substance ( Chemical element or Chemical compound) 04336 g/mol
Appearance	white solid
Density	1. The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different 72 g/cm³, solid
Melting point	169. The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to Liquid. 6 °C
Boiling point	approx. The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which the Vapor pressure of the liquid equals the environmental pressure surrounding the liquid 210 °C decomp
Solubility in water	119 g/100 ml (0 °C) 190 g/100 ml (20 °C) 286 g/100 ml (40 °C) 421 g/100 ml (60 °C) 630 g/100 ml (80 °C) 1024 g/100 ml (100 °C)
Explosive data
Explosive velocity	5,270 m/s
Hazards
EU classification	not listed
NFPA 704	0 2 3 OX
Related compounds
Other anions	Ammonium nitrite; ammonium perchlorate
Other cations	Sodium nitrate; potassium nitrate; hydroxylammonium nitrate
Related compounds	Nitrous oxide
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references

The chemical compound ammonium nitrate, the nitrate of ammonia with the chemical formula N H₄N O₃, is a white powder at room temperature and standard pressure. Solubility is the characteristic Physical property referring to the ability of a given substance the Solute, to dissolve in a Solvent. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. Explosive velocity is the Velocity at which the shockwave front travels through a detonated Explosive. Council Directive 67/548/EEC of 27 June 1967 on the approximation of laws regulations and administrative provisions relating to the classification packaging and labelling Symbolism The four divisions are typically color-coded with blue indicating level of Health Hazard, red indicating An ion is an Atom or Molecule which has lost or gained one or more Valence electrons giving it a positive or negative electrical charge Ammonium nitrite, NH4NO2 is a Salt which contains Ammonium and Nitrite ions Ammonium perchlorate (AP is a Chemical compound with the formula N[[Hydrogen H]]4 Cl[[Oxygen O]]4 An ion is an Atom or Molecule which has lost or gained one or more Valence electrons giving it a positive or negative electrical charge Sodium nitrate is the Chemical compound with the formula NaNO3 Potassium nitrate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula K[[Nitrogen N]] O 3 Hydroxylammonium nitrate or hydroxylamine nitrate (HAN is an energetic chemical with the chemical formula NH3OHNO3 Nitrous oxide, commonly known as " laughing gas," is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula N 2 O. In Chemistry, the standard state of a material is its state at 1 bar (100 Kilopascals exactly A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more different elements chemically bonded together in a fixed proportion by Mass. In Inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of Nitric acid with an Ion composed of one Nitrogen and three Oxygen atoms Ammonia is a compound with the formula N[[hydrogen H3]] It is normally encountered as a Gas with a characteristic pungent Odor Nitrogen (ˈnaɪtɹəʤɪn is a Chemical element that has the symbol N and Atomic number 7 and Atomic weight 14 Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 Nitrogen (ˈnaɪtɹəʤɪn is a Chemical element that has the symbol N and Atomic number 7 and Atomic weight 14 Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the It is commonly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer, and it has also been used as an oxidizing agent in explosives, including improvised explosive devices. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Fertilizers ( also spelt fertiliser are chemical compounds given to Plants to promote growth they are usually applied either through the soil for uptake by plant An oxidizing agent or oxidising agent (also called an oxidant, oxidizer or oxidiser) can be defined as either a Chemical compound An explosive material is a material that either is chemically or otherwise Energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied An improvised explosive device ( IED) is a Bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional Military action

1 Use
2 Production
3 Crystalline phases
4 Disasters
5 References
6 External links

Use

Use in Industry

Ammonium nitrate is used for zeolite modification. Zeolites (Greek zein, "to boil" lithos, "a stone" are hydrated Aluminosilicate Minerals and have a micro-porous structure In ion-exhanges, UZM zeolites have their sodium ions exhanged with the proton in NH₄⁺ in ammonium nitrate. This forms zeolite catalysts which have many uses in various fields, including petroleum. Catalysis is the process in which the rate of a Chemical reaction is increased by means of a Chemical substance known as a catalyst Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit

Use in fertilizer

The highly water-soluble salt is the preferred nitrogen source of fertilizers. Fertilizers ( also spelt fertiliser are chemical compounds given to Plants to promote growth they are usually applied either through the soil for uptake by plant Most of the produced ammonium nitrate ends therefore in the production of fertilizers. However, the runoff of excess ammonium nitrate is a leading source of environmental waste. During The Troubles, ammonium nitrate fertilizer was illegal in Northern Ireland because it was used as an oxidizer for explosives by the IRA (see below). Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The Irish Republican Army ( IRA) (Óglaigh na hÉireann was a military organisation descended from the Irish Volunteers, established 25 November 1913 and who

Use in explosives

As a strong oxidizing agent, ammonium nitrate makes an explosive mixture when combined with a hydrocarbon, usually diesel fuel (oil), or sometimes kerosene. In Organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an Organic compound consisting entirely of Hydrogen and Carbon. Diesel or Diesel fuel (ˈdiːzəl in general is any Fuel used in Diesel engines The most common is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage is a Combustible Hydrocarbon liquid Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO) mixtures have reportedly been used for bombs in terrorist acts such as the Oklahoma City Bombing, because ammonium nitrate is readily available in bulk. ANFO (or AN/FO, for ammonium nitrate / fuel oil) is a widely used Explosive mixture A bomb is any of a range of devices that typically rely on the Exothermic Chemical reaction of an Explosive material to produce an extremely The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist attack on April 19 1995 aimed at the U

Ammonium nitrate is used in military explosives such as the daisy cutter bomb, and as a component of amatol. The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system known under programme " Commando Vault " and nicknamed " daisy cutter " in Vietnam Amatol is a highly Explosive material made from a mixture of TNT and Ammonium nitrate. Military mixtures are often spiked with ~20% aluminium powder as well, increasing the blast power, but with some loss of brisance. WikipediaNaming Brisance is a measure of the rapidity with which an Explosive develops its maximum Pressure. One example of this is ammonal, which contains ammonium nitrate, trinitrotoluene (TNT) and aluminium. Trinitrotoluene ( TNT) is a Chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO23CH3 WikipediaNaming Aluminised mixtures are very effective under confinement, as in underwater demolition, torpedoes, and rock blasting. The modern torpedo (historically called an automotive automobile locomotive or fish torpedo is a self-propelled explosive Projectile weapon launched above or below Very cheap water-based blasting slurries tap the power of an aluminium-water reaction with enough ammonium nitrate added to burn off the resulting hydrogen.

Ammonium nitrate is also an explosive in its purest form although it is an unusually insensitive one. Explosive properties become much more evident at elevated temperatures. When ammonium nitrate is fused and "boiled" to generate nitrous oxide, it has been claimed to be as sensitive as dynamite at the ~240 °C operating temperature. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as " laughing gas," is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula N 2 O.

This exothermic reaction can run away and reach detonation velocities (without proper temperature controls). In Thermodynamics, the word exothermic "outside heating" describes a process or reaction that releases Energy usually in the form of Heat, but The extent of this possibility has been demonstrated several times, most notably at the Ohio Chemical plant in Montreal in 1966.

Millions of pounds of relatively pure ammonium nitrate have been (accidentally) detonated when subjected to severe heat and/or shocks; see "Disasters" below. Ammonium nitrate has also found use as a solid rocket propellant, but for a while ammonium perchlorate was frequently considered preferable due to higher performance and faster burn rates. A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) Ammonium perchlorate (AP is a Chemical compound with the formula N[[Hydrogen H]]4 Cl[[Oxygen O]]4 Lately, favor has been swinging back towards ammonium nitrate in rocketry, as it delivers almost as much thrust without producing an exhaust jet full of gaseous hydrogen chloride (HCl) and without the extra expense and sensitivity hazards.

Fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate (FGAN) is manufactured in more compact form, with much lower porosity, in order to achieve more stability and less sensitivity to detonation, whereas technical grade ammonium nitrate (TGAN) prills are made to be porous for better absorption of fuel and higher reactivity.

Other Uses

Ammonium nitrate is also used in instant cold packs. An instant cold pack is a device which consists of two bags one containing Water which is inside a second bag containing Ammonium nitrate. ^[1] In this use, ammonium nitrate is mixed with water in an endothermic reaction, which absorbs 25. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Thermodynamics, the word endothermic "within-heating" describes a process or reaction that absorbs Energy in the form of Heat. 69 kilojoules of heat per mole of reactant. The joule (written in lower case ˈdʒuːl or /ˈdʒaʊl/ (symbol J) is the SI unit of Energy measuring heat, Electricity In Physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is Energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in Temperature The mole (symbol mol) is a unit of Amount of substance: it is an SI base unit, and almost the only unit to be used to measure this Products of ammonium nitrate reactions are used in airbags. When sodium azide (NaN₃) is used in airbags, it decomposes to Na (s) and N₂ (g), the sodium forms a fine dust composed of sodium salts, which is not preferred by the airbag producers. Sodium azide is the Chemical compound with the formula NaN3 This colourless Azide salt is a common reagent in Organic

Ammonium nitrate is used in the treatment of some titanium ores. Titanium (taɪˈteɪniəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Ti and Atomic number 22

Ammonium nitrate is used in the preparation of nitrous oxide (N₂O):

NH₄NO₃_(aq) -> N₂O_(g) + 2H₂O_(l)

Ammonium nitrate is used in survival kits mixed with zinc dust and ammonium chloride because it will ignite on contact with water. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as " laughing gas," is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula N 2 O. Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 Ammonium chloride ( N[[Hydrogen H]]4 Cl) (also Sal Ammoniac, salmiac, nushadir salt, zalmiak, sal armagnac

Ammonium nitrate can be used to make anhydrous ammonia, a chemical often used in the production of methamphetamine. Ammonia is a compound with the formula N[[hydrogen H3]] It is normally encountered as a Gas with a characteristic pungent Odor

Production

The processes involved in the production of ammonium nitrate in industry, although simple in chemistry, challenge technology: The acid-base reaction of ammonia with nitric acid gives a solution of ammonium nitrate: HNO₃(aq) + NH₃(g) → NH₄NO₃(aq). Ammonia is a compound with the formula N[[hydrogen H3]] It is normally encountered as a Gas with a characteristic pungent Odor Nitric acid ( H[[nitrate NO3]] also known as Aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and For industrial production, this is done using anhydrous ammonia gas and concentrated nitric acid. This reaction is violent and very exothermic. After the solution is formed, typically at about 83% concentration, the excess water is evaporated to an ammonium nitrate (AN) content of 95% to 99. 9% concentration (AN melt), depending on grade. The AN melt is then made into "prills" or small beads in a spray tower, or into granules by spraying and tumbling in a rotating drum. The prills or granules may be further dried, cooled, and then coated to prevent caking. These prills or granules are the typical AN products in commerce.

The Haber process combines nitrogen and hydrogen to produce ammonia, part of which can be oxidised to nitric acid and combined with the remaining ammonia to produce the nitrate. The Haber process, also called the Haber–Bosch process, is the Nitrogen fixation reaction of Nitrogen and Hydrogen, over an iron substrate Nitric acid ( H[[nitrate NO3]] also known as Aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and Another production method is used in the so-called Odda process. The nitrophosphate process (also known as the Odda process) was a method for the industrial production of Nitrogen Fertilizers invented by Erling Johnson

Crystalline phases

Transformations of the crystal states due to changing conditions (temperature, pressure) affect the physical properties of ammonium nitrate. The following crystalline states have been identified:

System	Temperature (°C)	State	Volume Change (%)
-	>169. 6	liquid	-
I	169. 6 to 125. 2	cubic	+2. 1
II	125. 5 to 84. 2	tetragonal	-1. 3
III	84. 2 to 32. 3	α-rhombic	+3. 6
IV	32. 3 to −16. 8	β-rhombic	−2. 9
V	−16. 8	tetragonal	-

The type V crystal is a quasi-cubic form which is related to caesium chloride, the nitrogens of the nitrates and the ammoniums are at the sites in a cubic array where Cs and Cl would be in the CsCl lattice. Cesium chloride is the Chemical compound with the formula Cs[[Chlorine Cl]] In Inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of Nitric acid with an Ion composed of one Nitrogen and three Oxygen atoms Ammonium is also an old name for the Siwa Oasis in western Egypt. See C. S. Choi and H. J. Prask, Acta Crystallographica B, 1983, 39, 414-420.

Disasters

Main article: Ammonium nitrate disasters

Ammonium nitrate decomposes into gases including oxygen when heated (non-explosive reaction); however, ammonium nitrate can be induced to decompose explosively by detonation. Ammonium nitrate decomposes into Gases including Oxygen when heated (non-explosive reaction however ammonium nitrate can be induced to decompose explosively by This page is about the physical properties of gas as a state of matter Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the Large stockpiles of the material can be a major fire risk due to their supporting oxidation, and may also detonate, as happened in the Texas City disaster of 1947, which led to major changes in the regulations for storage and handling. Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction describes all Chemical reactions in which atoms have their Oxidation number ( Oxidation state The Texas City Disaster of April 16, 1947, started with the mid-morning fire and detonation of approximately 2300 tons of Ammonium nitrate on board the

There are two major classes of incidents resulting in explosions:

In the first case, the explosion happens by the mechanism of shock to detonation transition. The initiation happens by an explosive charge going off in the mass, by the detonation of a shell thrown into the mass, or by detonation of an explosive mixture in contact with the mass. The examples are Kriewald, Morgan (present-day Sayreville, New Jersey) Oppau, Tessenderlo and Traskwood. Sayreville is a borough located on the Raritan River, near Raritan Bay in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The Oppau explosion occurred on September 21 1921 when a tower silo storing 4500 tonnes of a mixture of Ammonium sulfate and Tessenderlo is a Municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg (Belgium. Traskwood is a town in Saline County, Arkansas, United States.
In the second case, the explosion results from a fire that spreads into the ammonium nitrate itself (Texas City, Brest, Oakdale), or from a mixture of ammonium nitrate with a combustible material during the fire (Repauno, Cherokee, Nadadores). The Texas City Disaster of April 16, 1947, started with the mid-morning fire and detonation of approximately 2300 tons of Ammonium nitrate on board the Brest (bʁɛst in French, in Breton) is a city in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France. Nadadores is a city in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. The fire must be confined at least to a degree for successful transition from a fire to an explosion (a phenomenon known as "transition from a decomposition or deflagration", or DDT). Pure, compact AN is stable and very difficult to initiate. However, there are numerous cases when even impure AN did not explode in a fire.

Ammonium nitrate decomposes in temperatures above 210 °C. Pure AN is stable and will stop decomposing once the heat source is removed, but when catalysts are present (combustible materials, acids, metal ions, chlorides. . . ) the reaction can become self-sustaining (known as self-sustaining decomposition, SSD). This is a well-known hazard with some types of NPK fertilizers, and is responsible for the loss of several cargo ships.

References

Properties: UNIDO and International Fertilizer Development Center (1998), Fertilizer Manual, Kluwer Academic Publishers, ISBN 0-7923-5032-4.

^ Marshall Brain. Cold Packs. How Refrigerators Work. Howstuffworks.com.

External links

International Chemical Safety Card 0216
"Storing and Handling Ammonium Nitrate", UK Health and Safety Executive publication INDG230 (1986)
Specific Heat Capacity as function of temperature - on-line calculation

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Health and Safety Executive (HSE is a United Kingdom Non-departmental public body.

Dictionary

-noun

(inorganic chemistry) The ammonium salt of nitric acid, NH₄NO₃; it is used in fertilizers and explosives (notably in improvised explosive devices)

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