Ammonium nitrate

Ammonium nitrate is an inorganic salt composed of ammonium and nitrate ions, with formula NH₄NO₃. It is used chiefly as a nitrogen fertilizer and can serve as an oxidizer in explosives.

Ammonium ion: The polyatomic cation NH₄⁺, formed when ammonia accepts a proton. It is the positively charged component of ammonium nitrate.
Nitrogen fertilizer: A fertilizer that supplies plants with nitrogen needed for growth. Ammonium nitrate is a widely used source of plant-available nitrogen.
Fritz Haber: A German chemist who developed a method for synthesizing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen. Synthetic ammonia made large-scale production of ammonium nitrate practical.
West Fertilizer Company explosion: A 2013 explosion at a fertilizer storage facility in West, Texas, that killed 15 people. Stored ammonium nitrate detonated after a fire, illustrating the consequences of unsafe storage.
Nitrate: The polyatomic anion NO₃⁻, found in salts and many nitrogen compounds. It is the negatively charged component and supplies oxidizing capacity.
Fertilizer: A material added to soil or plants to supply nutrients and support growth. Its largest agricultural role is supplying nitrogen to crops.
Carl Bosch: A German chemist and engineer who industrialized high-pressure ammonia synthesis. His engineering work enabled industrial ammonia supplies for fertilizer production.
Oppau explosion: A 1921 disaster in Oppau, Germany, caused by an explosion at a BASF fertilizer plant. The disaster involved fertilizer containing ammonium nitrate and prompted changes in handling.
Thermal decomposition: The breakdown of a chemical compound caused by heat. Heating ammonium nitrate can initiate decomposition and release gases.
ANFO: An industrial explosive mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. It uses ammonium nitrate as the oxidizer paired with a fuel.

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