Ammonium Nitrate - MSN Encarta

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Ammonium nitrate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The chemical compound ammonium nitrate, the nitrate of ammonia with the chemical formula N H 4 N O 3, is a white powder at room temperature and standard pressure.

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Ammonium Nitrate, white solid used as a synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Its formula is NH₄NO₃. It must be stored carefully as it can explode, and it is consequently used in some explosives.

Ammonium nitrate is manufactured in large quantities from ammonia, produced by the Haber process. Some of the ammonia (NH₃) is converted to nitric acid (HNO₃) in a three-stage process, using both air and water:

4NH₃ + 5O₂→4NO + 6H₂O

2NO + O₂⇋2NO₂

4NO₂ + 2H₂O + O₂→4HNO₃

Reaction of ammonia with nitric acid then produces ammonium nitrate:

NH₃ + HNO₃→NH₄NO₃

Ammonium nitrate is usually made in the form of small granules called prills. These are easy to handle and distribute on farmland.

Ammonium nitrate contains 35 per cent nitrogen. It is readily soluble in water. This makes it quick-acting, but it is quickly washed off fields into water-courses. This can cause water pollution problems because the ammonium nitrate removes dissolved oxygen from the water.