Ammonium nitrate

Description

Colorless deliquescent crystals that are made by the action of (anhydrous) ammonia on acid nitric acid. Ammonium nitrate is a strong oxidizer and can explode when heated. Ammonium nitrate also can produce shock induced explosions when exposed to organic materials. Commercially, it is used as an explosive, a fertilizer, a corrosion inhibitor, and an ingredient in insecticides.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Norway saltpeter; Norway saltpetre

Chemical structure

Other Properties

Soluble in water. Slightly soluble in ethanol, methanol. pH of 0.1 M solution in water = 5.43

Composition	HN4NO3
CAS	6484-52-2
Melting Point	169.6
Density	1.72
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 80.1
Refractive Index	1.413, 1.611 (He), 1.63

Hazards and Safety

Explosive in closed containers and high temperatures. Strong oxidizing agent.

International Chemical Safety Card

Authority

• Richard S. Lewis, Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 567

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: ref. index=1.413, 1.611 (He), 1.63

• Random House, Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998