Ammonium nitrate
The chemical compound ammonium nitrate, the nitrate of ammonia with chemical formula NH4NO3, is commonly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer. As a strong oxidizing agent, it has applications as a component of explosives. In the latter use, it is usually mixed with oil. Because of the ready availability in bulk of the raw materials, ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) mixtures have occasionally been used for terrorist bombs, such as in the Oklahoma City bombing.
Ammonium nitrate decomposes into gases including oxygen when heated (non-explosive reaction); however, ammonium nitrate can be induced to decompose explosively by detonation. 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.
A heavy explosion, with 561 casualties, occurred in the city of Oppau (on the grounds of BASF near Ludwigshafen in Germany) on September 21, 1921. Another one occurred, 80 years later, at a plant in Toulouse, France, in September 21, 2001.
Ammonium nitrate is also used in instant cold packs, as it dissolves in water endothermically, absorbing 26.2 kilojoules per mole of heat to do so.
Ammonium nitrate is also used in the treatment of titanium ores.
Referenced By
ANFO | ANFO binary explosive | Inorganic table information | List of chemistry topics | List of compounds | List of compounds without articles
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