Ammonium Nitrate

Ammonium Nitrate Latest News

Ammonium nitrate, one of the substances responsible for the Delhi explosion recently, was used in five deadly blasts in the Mumbai city in the past after being mixed with other products.

About Ammonium Nitrate

• Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is a crystal-like white solid which is made in large industrial quantities. 
• It is a salt of ammonia and nitric acid.
• It is commonly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer, and it has also been used as an oxidizing agent in explosives.
• It has a melting point of 170°C. 
• It is highly soluble in water; heating of the water solution decomposes the salt to nitrous oxide (laughing gas). 
• It is one of the base ingredients used in the manufacture of commercial explosives. It is the main component of slurry explosives used for mining.  

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What Makes Ammonium Nitrate So Explosive?

• Ammonium nitrate is not an explosive by itself. 
• Other ingredients like fuel, etc., have to be added to make it an explosive. 
• For such explosive mixtures to explode, initiators like detonators are required. 

Legal Controls on Ammonium Nitrate in India

• Under rules introduced in 2012 and updated in 2021, any mixture containing over 45% ammonium nitrate is legally classified as an explosive.
• A District Magistrate may permit possession of up to 30 metric tonnes, while larger quantities need approval from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). 
• PESO issues licences for the manufacture, storage, transport, and use of large quantities of ammonium nitrate.

Source: TOI