What is ammonium nitrate and what is it used for?

What is ammonium nitrate and what is it used for?

ammonium nitrate, (NH4NO3), a salt of ammonia and nitric acid, used widely in fertilizers and explosives. 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.

What is ammonium used for?

How is ammonia used? About 80% of the ammonia produced by industry is used in agriculture as fertilizer. Ammonia is also used as a refrigerant gas, for purification of water supplies, and in the manufacture of plastics, explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals.

What is ammonium nitrate and how it is used or misused?

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical that exists in multiple concentrations and physical forms. It is principally used as an agricultural fertilizer, in the manufacturing of first aid products (such as cold packs), and explosives used in the mining and construction industries.

What is so special about ammonium nitrate?

Ammonium nitrate is a crystal-like white solid which is made in large industrial quantities. Its biggest use is as a source of nitrogen for fertiliser, but it is also used to create explosives for mining. Ammonium nitrate is made all over the world and is relatively cheap to buy.

Why is ammonium nitrate used as a fertilizer?

Ammonium nitrate is a popular fertilizer since it provides half of the N in the nitrate form and half in the ammonium form. Animal farmers like it for pasture and hay fertilization since it’s less susceptible to volatilization losses than urea-based fertilizers when left on the soil surface.

Why is ammonium nitrate used in cold packs?

As an example of an endothermic reaction, when the chemical ammonium nitrate is dissolved in water, the resulting solution is colder than either of the starting materials. This kind of endothermic process is used in instant cold packs. As a result, the water cools down.

Is ammonium safe for skin?

Many personal care products contain a form of ammonia – most commonly ammonium chloride. Despite the fact that ammonium chloride is generally considered safe, it can irritate your skin. If you have dry or sensitive skin, it’s especially important to use ammonia free skincare products for men.

Why is ammonia a good solvent?

Ammonia’s high boiling point relative to its heavier congeners is indicative of the formation of strong hydrogen bonding, which also results in a high heat of vaporization (23.35 kJ/mol). Liquid ammonia is a good solvent for organic molecules (e.g., esters, amines, benzene, and alcohols).

Where is ammonium nitrate used?

Ammonium nitrate is used commonly in fertilizers; in pyrotechniques, herbicides, and insecticides; and in the manufacture of nitrous oxide. It is used as an absorbent for nitrogen oxides, an ingredient of freezing mixtures, an oxidizer in rocket propellants, and a nutrient for yeast and antibiotics.

Why is ammonium nitrate illegal?

Some countries have banned ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer because it has been used by militant bomb-makers and since Tuesday’s blast, some governments have been urged to relocate stockpiles. explosives adviser, said few countries make ammonium nitrate but many use it, often importing it by sea.

How do you apply ammonium nitrate fertilizer?

The standard method of application is by broadcast spreading the granules. These will rapidly melt in water to allow the nitrogen to release into the soil. The rate of application is 2/3 to 1 1/3 cup (157.5 – 315 ml.) of ammonium nitrate fertilizer per 1,000 square feet (93 sq.

How do plants use ammonium?

Plants can use ammonia as a nitrogen source. Plants absorb ammonium and nitrate during the assimilation process, after which they are converted into nitrogen-containing organic molecules, such as amino acids and DNA. Animals cannot absorb nitrates directly.

Ammonium nitrate also is employed to modify the detonation rate of other explosives, such as nitroglycerin in the so-called ammonia dynamites, or as an oxidizing agent in the ammonals, which are mixtures of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum.

What happens when ammonium nitrate is mixed with water?

Ammonium nitrate consists of ionic bonds packed tightly together. When it comes into contact with water, the polar water molecules interfere with those ions and eventually make them disperse. It takes energy to do this, which is absorbed from the surroundings and makes the solution cold.

What is ammonium nitrate used for in fertilizer?

Because of its high nitrogen content, ammonium nitrate is commonly used as a fertilizer. Nitrogen is a nutrient for plants and aids their essential growth and metabolic processes, increasing plant yield in the process. However, in addition to being used in fertilizers, ammonium nitrate is also very reactant in heat and has application in explosives when paired with substances such as TNT.

What are the physical properties of ammonium nitrate?

Ammonium nitrate is a salt, which consists of two ions: a cation, the ammonium ion (NH4+) and an anion, the nitrate ion (NO3-). The cation and anion are held together by a strong ionic bond. Chemical properties: Ammonium nitrate is readily water soluble.