Ammonium Nitrate

About This Product

Ammonium nitrate has the formula NH4NO3 and CAS number 6484-52-2. It is supplied as white prills or granules, extremely soluble in water, dissolving with a marked cooling effect. As a fertiliser it is distinctive in carrying nitrogen in both available forms. Half is nitrate, which plants take up immediately and which moves freely in soil water, and half is ammonium, which is held on soil colloids and released more slowly as it nitrifies. That combination gives both a rapid response and a degree of persistence from a single application, at a total nitrogen content of 34 percent. Two properties govern how it must be handled. It is strongly hygroscopic and prone to caking, and it passes through a crystal phase change near 32 degrees Celsius that breaks down prill structure if the material is thermally cycled, so coating and controlled storage are standard. It is also a powerful oxidiser: it does not burn itself but supplies oxygen that intensifies any fire, so it is kept away from fuels and heat. Supply, storage and traceability are regulated as an explosives precursor in the EU, UK, US and other markets. It is used in nitrogen fertilisers and blends, and in regulated industrial applications including cold packs and nitrous oxide manufacture. Bio Green Chem supplies ammonium nitrate to specification on nitrogen content, moisture, pH, anticaking treatment and particle size, subject to end-use verification and the licensing required in the destination market.