Additionally, ammonia is reported to function as an. A fire anywhere is cause for concern, but a fire at a fertilizer plant is a potential catastrophe. If you want some and have some chemistry skills, watch this video to learn how to make nitrogen triiodide at home out of household ammonia and water purification iodine crystals. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer isnt really a dangerous explosive most of the time. Most manufacturers use a moderately high pressure of around 200 atmospheres. In march 2010 the afghan government banned ammonium nitrate fertilizer so the insurgents have begun to smuggle it into the country. This fact sheet is intended to provide general awareness and education on a specific chemical agent. Ammonia is incompatible or has potentially hazardous reactions with silver. Reflex glottis closure, a protective response to inhaling irritant vapors, occurred at 570. When ammonia neutralizes nitric acid with concentration of 64%, every ton of it could produce steam as byproduct for about 1 ton. As many know from experience, single and double displacement reactions, are a common way of synthesising needed, and or interesting compounds. Mar 28, 2009 as many know from experience, single and double displacement reactions, are a common way of synthesising needed, and or interesting compounds. Ammonium nitrate an is the primary ingredient in many explosives and fertilizers.
The facts about ammonia new york state department of health note to reader. Manufacture of fertilisers, sodium cyanide and explosives. Handbook of scenarios for assessing major chemical accident risks. Coal fly ash, ammonia, adsorption, unburned carbon abstract the adsorption of ammonia on coal fly ash is of concern whenever scr or sncr. Pliny, in book xxxi of his natural history, refers to a salt produced in the roman. In the second reaction, you have to look at the reaction mechanism. The human body makes ammonia when the body breaks down foods containing. Cylinder test characterization of an ammonium nitrate and. Anhydrous ammonia reacts to form explosive products, mixtures or compounds with mercury, gold, silver, iodine, bromine, silver oxide and silver chloride. If you use a higher pressure, you will bring the molecules closer together and promote the reaction that forms ammonia. Effects of ammonia on the explosion and flame propagation characteristics of methaneair mixtures article in journal of loss prevention in the process industries 47c.
The explosion of the west fertilizer company plant in the town of west, texas, has. Anhydrous ammonia is classified as hazardous according to australian whs regulations. Prior to their development, the density of most dynamites was about the same and was quite high. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer isnt really a dangerous. Ammonia is among the most produced chemicals in the world. Therefore, because the pka of water is lower than ammonia, it is a stronger acid the ammonia and will donate protons to the ammonia base. Anhydrous ammonia is stored as a liquid, mainly either in chemical works or. One of agricultures most dangerous substances, anhydrous. If you want some and have some chemistry skills, watch this video to learn how to make nitrogen triiodide at home out of household ammonia and. You can also alter the conversion of n and h to nh 3 with changes in pressure.
Cylinder test characterization of an ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder explosive david l. The ammonium nitrate is like the engine behind the explosion, but the engine needs fuel. International cosmetic ingredient dictionary and handbook, both ingredients are reported to function as ph adjusters in cosmetic products. Aug 30, 20 so you want to build an extremely lethal bomb. The rules in this book are effective december 2015.
The vapor is visible as a white cloud by absorption of, and reaction with, the. In this, a knowledge of the activity series is required, however, i have run into a problem. Low density ammonium nitrate explosive is used extensively in the mining industry and is intentionally made very porous to allow for the rapid uptake of liquid fuel oil. One of agricultures most dangerous substances, anhydrous ammonia requires several precautions to handle. Safety assessment of ammonia and ammonium hydroxide.
But if it had more to do with the anhydrous ammonia then the chemistry explanation for all of this would be. Meaning of flammability limits and reaction in air of ammonia. Where anhydrous ammonia is stored indoors, use electrical ventilating, lighting and material handling equipment with the appropriate electrical classification rating and use only nonsparking tools. Ammonium triiodide this stuff is so damn sensitive if you use pure ingredients when it dries that it will blow up with the slightest touch. Amines can be formed by the reaction of ammonia with alkyl halides. The reaction gives off heat and purple and orange smoke, stained by iodine. Apr 18, 20 ammonium nitrate fertilizer isnt really a dangerous explosive most of the time. The prill is coated with a paraffin which makes the ammonium nitrate difficult to dissolve and use for other applications. Interestingly, this is why ammonia is a caustic agent, it produces hydroxide that reacts with stains. Emits oxides of nitrogen and ammonia when heated to decomposition. Nitric acid is used for the production of fertilizers, explosives, and many. Do not store this shit in your house, because it has the annoying characteristic of blowing up for no apparent reason, and this is a high explosive. Thats because ammonium nitrate, a chemical commonly used in agricultural fertilizers, is a. The explosion of the west fertilizer company plant in the town of west, texas, has devastated the small community of twentyeight hundred, killing at least five people and injuring more than a.
The explosion goes off at, literally, the tap of a feather. It occurs naturally throughout the environment in the air, soil and water and in plants and animals, including humans. The reactions between ni 3 and liquid ammonia solutions of potassium amide and potassium at. Anhydrous ammonia has potentially explosive reactions with strong oxidizers. It is formed by reacting hgo with nh4oh, initially at 10c, but thereafter heating the reaction.
What causes fertilizer explosions ammonium nitrate. Your explanation of the explosive sodiuminwater reaction. Nevertheless, in the absence of a suitable catalyst, the reaction of ammonia with oxygen proceeds mainly according to equation 2, and, although ammonia burns in air with difficulty 3, 5, it can indeed burn 3, 58 and even explode 6, 7. Nitrate of ammonia explosive is a powdered high explosive. Refrigerant grade anhydrous ammonia is a clear, colorless liquid or gas, free from visible. Ammonia vapour may evolve from the solution and so should be treated in the ame way as anhydrous ammonia. It is an essential reaction component for the synthesis of numerous organic chemicals used as solvents and intermediates. The products of the interaction of iodine and liquid ammonia at. Dowex 50w was dried thoroughly and then extracted exhaustively with anhydrous liquid ammonia prior to use.
Ammonia, a colorless gas with a distinct odor, is a buildingblock chemical and a key component in the manufacture of many products people use every day. The official dutch ammonia probit figures predicted originally in 1992 green book15 a. Ammonia is also produced by humans and other animals as part of normal biological processes. Two young women accidentally exposed to anhydrous ammonia fumes. Board chemistry level 11 describe the displacement of ammonia from its salts. And, even in its pure form, ammonium nitrate by itself is not explosive. Ammonia has potentially explosive or violent reactions with interhalogens, strong. The explosive that goes off with the touch of a feather. Do not attempt to neutralise the ingested alkali since exothermic reaction may. Ammonal is an explosive made up of ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder, not to be confused with tammonal which contains trinitrotoluene as well to increase properties such as brisance. Ammonia is one of the most important inorganic basic chemicals, not only for the manufacture of fertilizers 85% but also for the production of plastics, fibers, explosives, and intermediates for dyes and pharmaceuticals. High explosives are characterized by a very high rate of reaction, high pressure development, and the presence of a detonation wave in the explosion. When ammonia mixes with gas andor air it forms an explosive mixture.
Apr 18, 20 a fire anywhere is cause for concern, but a fire at a fertilizer plant is a potential catastrophe. The haber reaction for the manufacture of ammonia is n2. Reactions of iodine in liquid ammonia sciencedirect. Chemical and physical properties of ammonia and ammonium hydroxide are presented in.
Nitrogen triiodide, a primary high explosive, is formed when ammonia comes in contact with iodine. The scr process requires a precise control of the ammo. Anfo or anfo, for ammonium nitratefuel oil is a widely used bulk industrial explosive. The chemical compound ammonia is a colorless gas that is highly toxic to the brain.
Nitrate of ammonia explosives cameo chemicals noaa. Nitrogen triiodide ammoniate ni3nh3 this is to be performed as described in the procedure, heeding all safety precautions. Describe the displacement of ammonia from its salts on. Naval ordnance laboratory, white oak, silver spring, maryland the detonatability and detonation velocity of ammonium perchlorate ap were studied as functions of diameter, loading density and particle size. International cosmetic ingredient dictionary and handbook dictionary, both ingredients are reported to function as ph adjusters in cosmetic products. Effects of ammonia on the explosion and flame propagation.
Ammonium nitrate of any grade, including fertilizer grade should be considered, especially when mixed with oil, charcoal, or other organic materials, an explosive capable of detonation by the combustion or explosion of adjacent materials. In this form, it has a bulk density of approximately 840 kgm 3. Apr 24, 2019 contemplate how pressure will change the reaction. Chemical hazard response information system chris hazardous chemical data. In an ideal stoichiometrically balanced reaction, anfo is composed of about 94. Mixtures with alkyl esters may explode, owing to the formation of alkyl nitrates. Ammonium nitrate important products were 1 lowdensity ammonia dynamites and 2 semigelatins.
Ammonium nitrate fertilizer is cheaper and more readily available than other explosive materials making it the weapon of choice for many middle east insurgents. Ammonia will combine with mercury to form a fulminate which is an unstable explosive compound. Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula nh3. A wide variety of ammonium nitrate explosive grade options are available to you, such as agriculture grade, industrial grade. What causes fertilizer explosions ammonium nitrate live. The chemical reactions that occur in nh3scr systems are shown in equation 1 and 2 where the first one is the desired reaction. Apr 09, 2018 therefore, because the pka of water is lower than ammonia, it is a stronger acid the ammonia and will donate protons to the ammonia base. However, i do know that e is false and i dont know what you would define as an elementary process, but it can be quite complex in the sense that you must apply a great deal of heat and pressure in order to break the n2 bonds. The ammonium nitrate functions as an oxidizer and the aluminium as fuel. Production of an explosive material in quantities in excess of what is specified in the lab instructions is unacceptable. Ammonia forms sensitive explosive mixtures with air and hydrocarbons, ethanol and silver nitrate, and chlorine. In the mining industry, the term anfo specifically describes a mixture of solid ammonium nitrate prills and heating oil. Suuberg division of engineering, brown university, providence, ri 02912 keywords.
Search the internet for articles about west, texas where a fertilizer plant basically took out a town. The compound is readily synthesized and serves a variety of uses. Lahvanya raoov moved describe the displacement of ammonia from its salts from to do. How to develop an extremely lethal bomb using ammonium. The density of individual prills is about 0 kgm 3, while the density of pure crystalline ammonium nitrate is 1700 kgm 3. Anhydrous ammonia, safety standards for chapter 296826 wac. Liquid ammonia can also attack rubber and certain plastics.
Mercuryi nitrate also reacts with ammonia to form a white precipitate, but i am unsure if this is mercuryi nitride, or simply a less soluble ammonia complex of mercuryi nitrate, both of which would be explosive. Additional pressure is used to reclaim reaction heat and produce steam, which can be applied to prewarm raw materials and to concentrate ammonium nitrate solution. But that being said it is used extensively as a refrigerant in food plants, cold storage, ice plants. Apr 18, 20 what is anhydrous ammonia, the chemical at the site of the west, texas, explosion. Annually we produce and source around one million tons of an for our north american explosives and fertilizer business. You can study ammonia and its reactions by reading about the.
Chemical reaction would proceed in an airammonia mix, even outside the concentration range at which the reaction is selfsustaining, particularly if there were a catalyst to help. It consists of 94% porous prilled ammonium nitrate nh 4 no 3 an, which acts as the oxidizing agent and absorbent for the fuel, and 6% number 2 fuel oil fo. Anhydrous ammonia an overview sciencedirect topics. When the amount of ammonia in the system surpasses the safe level, an ammonia overdose will occur and can cause harm to the individual 1, 2. Anhydrous ammonia forms explosive mixtures in air with hydrocarbons, chlorine, fluorine and silver nitrate. Explosive behaviour of ammonium perchlorate sciencedirect. Manufacture of nitric acid, explosives, synthetic fibers. Ammonia includes anhydrous ammonia and aqueous ammonia from water dissociable ammonium salts.
Accident prevention and response manual for anhydrous ammonia refrigeration. Your explanation of the explosive sodiuminwater reaction is incomplete. One of the most important industrial nitrogen compounds, ammonium nitrate, is prepared by reaction of nitric acid with ammonia in an acidbase reaction. What is anhydrous ammonia, the chemical at the site of the. The reaction would proceed until most of the ammonia or the oxygen is used up. While ammonium nitrate is itself detonable, its sensitivity and performance. Anhydrous ammonia corrodes copper and zinccontaining alloys, and so brass fittings should not be used for handling the gas. Normally, i recommend trial and error as a development methodology in a case like this, but heres a tip. Nitrogen triiodide is a very powerful contact explosive, but like most fun chemicals is not readily available to the general public cheaply. Ammonia gas forms explosive mixtures with chlorine and sulphur dioxide. An ammonium nitrate explosion in 1923 killed 600 people in oppau, germany.
The resin was separated and washed with liquid ammonia. Strength was changed in the different grades by varying the amount of explosives used. Safety assessment of ammonia and ammonium hydroxide as used. Its worth noting that although ammonium nitrate and other fertilizer explosions are terrible, they are rare. Anhydrous ammonia safety data sheet tanner industries.