Ammonium nitrate is an ammonium salt and a white crystalline powder with the chemical formula of NH4NO3. Soluble in water, easy to absorb moisture and agglomerate, and absorb a lot of heat when dissolved. It is an oxidant, which will explode when it is violently hit or heated, and will also decompose when it meets alkali. Pure ammonium nitrate is a colorless and odorless transparent crystal or small white crystal, which reacts with alkali to generate ammonia and absorb heat.
Easily deliquescent and caking. Soluble in water, while absorbing heat, but also soluble in acetone and ammonia, slightly soluble in ethanol, insoluble in ether. Pure ammonium nitrate is stable at room temperature and insensitive to impact, collision or friction. However, under the conditions of high temperature, high pressure and oxidizable substances (reducing agents), it will explode under electric spark. Ammonium nitrate cannot explode when the water content is above 3%, but it will still decompose at a certain temperature. Safety regulations must be strictly observed in production, storage, transportation and use.
Development history:
1659, the German J.R. Glauber's salt was first made into ammonium nitrate. /kloc-at the end of 0/9 century, Europeans produced ammonium nitrate from ammonium sulfate and Chilean saltpeter. Later, due to the large-scale development of synthetic ammonia industry, ammonium nitrate was rich in raw materials and developed rapidly in the middle of the 20th century. During World War II, some countries set up ammonium nitrate factories to manufacture explosives. In 1960s, ammonium nitrate was the main variety of nitrogen fertilizer. China established many ammonium nitrate factories in 1950s.
In the 1940s, in order to prevent agricultural ammonium nitrate from absorbing moisture and caking, it was wrapped with paraffin and other organic substances, and an explosion occurred during transportation. Therefore, some countries have formulated laws and regulations on the production, storage and transportation of agricultural ammonium nitrate, and some countries even prohibit the transportation and direct use of ammonium nitrate as fertilizer, and only allow the use of calcium ammonium nitrate mixed with calcium carbonate.
Refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Ammonium Nitrate for the above contents