[4] Global production was estimated at 21.6 million tonnes in 2017.[5]. Produced as small porous pellets, or “prills”, it’s one of the world’s most widely used fertilisers. [26], Ammonium nitrate has a critical relative humidity of 59.4%, above which it will absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Ammonium lactate may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide. Under certain conditions, this can lead to a runaway reaction, with the decomposition process becoming explosive. The red–orange colour in an explosion cloud is due to nitrogen dioxide, a secondary reaction product.[12]. Ammonium nitrate is an odourless material, which is usually granulated (if a fertiliser) and white in appearance. Ammonium nitrate has an LD50 of 2217 mg/kg,[35] which for comparison is about two-thirds that of table salt. Determine the amount of fertilizer necessary using the soil test results as a guide. Large stockpiles of the material can also be a major fire risk due to their supporting oxidation, a situation which can easily escalate to detonation. We can denote this fertilizer compound as CAN. [31] Additional uses such as education and research purposes may also be considered, but individual use will not. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula NH₄NO₃. Ammonium nitrate is predominantly used in agriculture as a fertiliser. Many ammonium nitrate disasters, with loss of lives, have occurred. [32], Ammonium nitrate is not hazardous to health and is usually used in fertilizer products.[32][33][34]. Ammonium nitrate is found as the natural mineral gwihabaite (formerly known as nitrammite)[7] – the ammonium analogue of saltpetre (mineralogial name: niter)[8][9] – in the driest regions of the Atacama Desert in Chile, often as a crust on the ground or in conjunction with other nitrate, iodate, and halide minerals. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. The chemical is applied in granule form into the soil and quickly dissolves under moisture, allowing nitrogen to be released. An explosive charge within or in contact with a mass of ammonium nitrate causes the ammonium nitrate to detonate. Providing the correct amount of nutrients to your plants is crucial to their health and development. Ammonium nitrate has also been used as an oxidizer in some solid fuel rockets and to help deploy airbags in cars. Ammonium nitrate, (NH 4 NO 3), a salt of ammonia and nitric acid, used widely in fertilizers and explosives. In November 2009, the government of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan imposed a ban on ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and calcium ammonium nitrate fertilizers in the former Malakand Division – comprising the Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Swat, Chitral, and Malakand districts of the NWFP – following reports that those chemicals were used by militants to make explosives. https://www.ima-mineralogy.org/Minlist.htm, "The chemistry behind the Beirut explosion", "Advances in phase stabilization techniques of AN using KDN and other chemical compounds for preparing green oxidizers", "Nutrient Content of Fertilizer Materials", "Afghan bomb makers shifting to new explosives for IEDs", Airbag Compound Has Vexed Takata for Years. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula NH4NO3. But what is it and what is it used for? It is the major constituent of ANFO, a popular industrial explosive which accounts for 80% of explosives used in North America; similar formulations have been used in improvised explosive devices. Timothy McVeigh used two tons of ammonium nitrate to bomb a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, leading to the deaths of 168 people. Even so, plants can not use some of the nitrogen in either product until it has been converted to the Anitrate form. But not all ammonium nitrate experiments end with a bang. The rules also make storage of ammonium nitrate in large quantities in populated areas illegal in India. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer is an industrially-produced chemical fertilizer.It has the chemical formula NH 4 NO 3 and is used primarily to increase the nitrogen content of soil. These prills or granules are the typical AN products in commerce. Calcium ammonium nitrate is an inorganic compound that is widely used as a fertilizer. [26][21], Contact with certain substances such as chlorates, mineral acids and metal sulfides, can lead to vigorous or even violent decomposition capable of igniting nearby combustible material or detonating. The prills or granules may be further dried, cooled, and then coated to prevent caking. A Cheaper Airbag, and Takata's Road to a Deadly Crisis. Ammonium nitrate is a crystal-like white solid which is made in large industrial quantities. Ammonium nitrate is the fertilizer compound that can be used in explosives, said John Goodpaster, who researches explosives at Indiana at University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Other uses include as a heat absorber in instant cold packs. Ammonium lactate is a moisturizer. Blending ammonium nitrate with certain other fertilizers can lower the critical relative humidity.[29]. Ammonium nitrate is an ingredient in certain explosives. It should not be heated in a confined space. Ammonium nitrate was also used to create the explosives used in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings. Toxic oxides of nitrogen are produced in fires involving this material. The chemical is classified as an “energetic material” meaning that it produces heat as it decomposes. Ammonium nitrate is a hazardous chemical that has many grades and is used in fertiliser and explosives products because of its unique properties. Ammonium nitrate is an industrial chemical commonly used around the world as an agricultural fertilizer, and in explosives for mining. 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. Ammonium lactate is used to treat dry, scaly, itchy skin. [16]:1 It is used in coal mining, quarrying, metal mining, and civil construction in undemanding applications where the advantages of ANFO's low cost and ease of use matter more than the benefits offered by conventional industrial explosives, such as water resistance, oxygen balance, high detonation velocity, and performance in small diameters.[16]:2. By itself, ammonium nitrate is not regarded as dangerous but under certain conditions, it can become deadly. [15] It is less concentrated than urea (46-0-0), giving ammonium nitrate a slight transportation disadvantage. [6] Accidental ammonium nitrate explosions have killed thousands of people since the early 20th century. Calcium nitrate fertilizer is the only water soluble source of calcium available for plants. You may associate ammonium nitrate with explosives; it's commonly used in safety explosives and pyrotechnics as well as fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate is predominantly used in agriculture as a fertiliser. A HUGE explosion erupted in Beirut on August 4 causing 100 deaths and nearly 4,000 injuries. This type of fertilizer is typically sold in a granular form, although other preparations and combinations are possible. Ammonium nitrate decomposes, non-explosively, into the gases nitrous oxide and water vapor when heated. 2. Ammonium nitrate is a popular fertilizer since it provides half of the N in the nitrate form and half in the ammonium form. The commercial grade contains about 33.5 percent nitrogen, all of which is in forms utilizable by plants; it is the most common nitrogenous component of artificial fertilizers. It was reported that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored in a warehouse for six years without safety measures. The following occur under atmospheric pressure. Most countries have regulations controlling the storage of ammonium nitrate to make it safe. It is created when … Both decomposition reactions are exothermic and their products are gas. It works both as a fertiliz… [21] The resulting heat and pressure from decomposition increases the sensitivity to detonation and increases the speed of decomposition. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. Global production was estimated at 21.6 million tonnes in 2017. Both the β-rhombic to α-rhombic forms are potentially present at ambient temperature in many parts of the world but have a 3.6% difference in density. It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer. "[17], Ammonium nitrate is used in some instant cold packs, as its dissolution in water is highly endothermic. The industrial production of ammonium nitrate entails the acid-base reaction of ammonia with nitric acid:[10]. Ammonium nitrate can also be made via metathesis reactions: As ammonium nitrate is a salt, both the cation, NH4+, and the anion, NO3−, may take part in chemical reactions. It should not be stored near high explosives or blasting agents. Health and safety data are shown on the safety data sheets available from suppliers and from various governments.[21][22][23]. Ammonium nitrate is an important fertilizer with NPK rating 34-0-0 (34% nitrogen). “Ammonium nitrate is the ammonium salt of nitric acid. At temperatures below around 300 °C, the decomposition mainly produces nitrous oxide and water: At higher temperatures, the following reaction predominates.[11]. Ammonium nitrate is a common industrial chemical used mainly for fertiliser because it is a good source of nitrogen for plants. Properties: UNIDO and International Fertilizer Development Center (1998), This page was last edited on 28 November 2020, at 03:22. Contamination can reduce this to 20 atmospheres. It has been the cause of numerous industrial explosions over the last three decades, including the explosion at a chemical plant in Toulouse, France, in 2001 that killed 31 people. It is an inexpensive synthetic source of nitrogen, one of the 14 essential … It has been reported that the cause of the explosion in the Lebanon capital was ammonium nitrate. For this reason, phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) which incorporates metal halides as stabilisers has been investigated.[14]. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound used in agriculture as a fertilizer, to make pyrotechnics, as an ingredient in cold packs, and for science demonstrations. Since ammonium nitrate has nitrate in it already, plants get nitrogen from it a bit faster than if you apply urea. The commercial grade contains about 33.5 percent nitrogen, all of which is in forms utilizable by plants; it is the most common nitrogenous component of artificial fertilizers. -Ammonium nitrate is an industrial chemical commonly used in fertilisers and as an explosive for quarrying and mining. Many countries are phasing out its use in consumer applications due to concerns over its potential for misuse. Examples of such disasters are. Ammonium nitrate liquid is the white crystals dissolved in water. [27][28], Ammonium nitrate begins decomposition after melting, releasing NO x , HNO3, NH3 and H2O. It accounts for about 4% of the total nitrogen-fertilizer utilization worldwide. The manufacture, conversion, bagging, import, export, transport, possession for sale or use of ammonium nitrate is covered under The Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012. What is ammonium nitrate? Detonation may occur at 80 atmospheres. It has a role as … Another use of ammonium nitrate is in the food industry where it is used as a nutrient in producing antibiotics and yeast. It is a white crystalline solid and is highly soluble in water. Agricultural use. However, it can be induced to decompose explosively by detonation. [12] See § disasters for details. Its other major use is as a component of explosive mixtures used in mining, quarrying, and civil construction. Solid ammonium nitrate decomposes on heating. While ammonium nitrate is stable at ambient temperature and pressure under many conditions, it may detonate from a strong initiation charge. Due to these bans, "Potassium chlorate – the stuff that makes safety matches catch fire – has surpassed fertilizer as the explosive of choice for insurgents. Numerous safety guidelines are available for storing and handling ammonium nitrate. Chemical Advisory: Safe Storage, Handling, and Management of Ammonium Nitrate, United States Environmental Protection Agency, "Report for Kooragang Island Update PHA MOD1 Report", "Guidance for Compatibility of Fertilizer Blending Materials", "Material Safety Data Sheet, Ammonium nitrate MSDS", "Lebanon's president calls for two-week state of emergency in Beirut after blast", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ammonium_nitrate&oldid=991074538, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using collapsible list with both background and text-align in titlestyle, Articles containing unverified chemical infoboxes, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Shock-to-detonation transition. This is one of the most popular explosives for a variety of applications such as; coal mining, quarrying, and in construction. Ammonia is used in its anhydrous form (a gas) and the nitric acid is concentrated. Ammonium nitrate-based explosives were used in the Sterling Hall bombing in Madison, Wisconsin, 1970, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the 2011 Delhi bombings, the 2011 bombing in Oslo, and the 2013 Hyderabad blasts. Ammonium nitrate has the chemical formula NH₄NO₃. Ammonia produced by the Haber process can be oxidized to nitric acid by the Ostwald process. It is normally spread as small pellets and dissolves quickly in moisture, releasing nitrogen into the soil. Therefore, it is important to store ammonium nitrate in a tightly sealed container. * Ammonium nitrate is an industrial chemical commonly used in fertilisers and as an explosive for quarrying and mining. Find out more about its hazards and safe management. Ammonium nitrate is used in the high explosive ANFO (ammonium nitrate/fuel oil). The chemical made the news again after a huge explosion in Beirut caused the death of 100 people and nearly 4,000 injuries. Pure ammonium nitrate does not burn, but as a strong oxidizer, it supports and accelerates the combustion of organic (and some inorganic) material. Using ammonium nitrate in gardens and large scale agricultural fields enhances plant growth and provides a ready supply of nitrogen from which plants can draw. It is also one of the main components in mining explosives. Another use of ammonium nitrate is in the food industry where it is used as a nutrient in producing antibiotics and yeast. Examples of explosives containing ammonium nitrate include: ANFO is a mixture of 94% ammonium nitrate ("AN") and 6% fuel oil ("FO") widely used as a bulk industrial explosive. Other names we use for this compound are nitro-limestone and nitrochalk. It also was used, in combination with independently explosive "fuels" such as guanidine nitrate,[18][19] as a cheaper (but less stable) alternative to 5-aminotetrazole in the inflators of airbags manufactured by Takata Corporation, which were recalled as unsafe after killing 14 people.[20]. When mixed with fuel oils, the chemical creates a potent explosive that is widely used in the construction industry. [21][24][25] It should not be stored near combustible substances. Ammonium nitrate can explode through two mechanisms: InChI=1S/NO3.H3N/c2-1(3)4;/h;1H3/q-1;/p+1, Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their, Production, reactions and crystalline phases, Ammonium Nitrate-Regulating its use, Balancing Access & Protection from, largest artificial non-nuclear explosions, "Ammonium nitrate production by country, 2019 - knoema.com". Health and safety data are shown on the material safety data sheets, which are available from suppliers and can be found on the internet. Ammonium nitrate, (NH 4 NO 3), a salt of ammonia and nitric acid, used widely in fertilizers and explosives. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer is a simple compound to make. Ammonium nitrate can absorb enough moisture to liquefy. Great Conjunction as it happened: Watch how Jupiter & Saturn 'nearly touched', Meghan and Harry to 'release Christmas card' as the couple is spotted in LA, Woman sent pic of ‘dreadful little willy’ pretends to be a doctor to shame him, Daily Chinese Horoscope Tuesday December 22: What your zodiac sign has in store, Student’s fake tan fail goes viral as people laugh at her bronzed look, © 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. 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