Ammonium nitrate

“ The hydrogen in ammonia is capable of replacement by metals, thus magnesium burns in the gas with the formation of magnesium nitride Mg3N2, and when the gas is passed over heated sodium or potassium, sodamide, NaNH2, and potassamide, KNH2, are formed.
One of the most characteristic properties of ammonia is its power of combining directly with acids to form salts; thus with hydrochloric acid it forms ammonium chloride (sal-ammoniac) ; with nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, &c. ”

“ During the solution of the metal red fumes are given off, which mainly consist of nitrogen peroxide. The solution is often coloured brown or green because of dissolved oxides of nitrogen, which must be got rid of by boiling. Generally some ammonium nitrate is formed, especially in the cases of zinc, iron, and tin, when these are acted on by cold dilute acid. Sulphur, phosphorus, and arsenic are converted into sulphuric, phosphoric, and arsenic acids respectively, when boiled with the strong acid. ”

“ In nature and the arts, however, ammonium salts, and not free ammonia, are most frequently employed. In this form a portion of that nitrogen which is necessary for the formation of albuminous substances is supplied to plants. Owing to this, a large quantity of ammonium sulphate is now employed as a fertilising substance. But the same effect may be produced by nitre, or by animal refuse, which in decomposing gives ammonia. For this reason, an ammoniacal (hydrogen) compound may be introduced into the soil in the spring which will be converted into a nitrate (oxygen salt) in the summer. ”

“ Put on a thin layer of nitre, and rather more than half fill the crucible with a mixture of equal parts of soda and nitre. Heat quickly in the blow-pipe flame, and when the mass is fused and effervescing, withdraw and allow to cool. Boil out with water, filter and wash. Insert a piece of litmus paper and cautiously neutralise with nitric acid, using ammonia to neutralise any accidental excess of the acid. Add a gram or so of ammonium nitrate and silver nitrate in excess, neutralise again with ammonia and add two or three grams of sodium acetate. Filter off the precipitate, wash and titrate. ”

“ This is most cheaply done by neutralizing the nitric acid with lime or the ammonia with sulfuric acid, yielding calcium nitrate or ammonium sulfate, respectively. Whether the nitrate or the ammonium salt is made the constituent of the fertilizer makes little difference; for, though plants directly assimilate the nitrogen only in the form of nitrate, yet there are always present in soils the so-called nitrifying bacteria, whose function it is to convert ammonium compounds into nitrates. ”

“ By cold and great pressure the gas may be condensed into a colourless liquid. The gas is obtained in a pure state by gently heating the salt called ammonium nitrate, which is formed by neutralizing pure nitric acid with carbonate of ammonia. The action which occurs may be explained thus: the hydrogen of the ammonium unites with a portion of the oxygen of the nitric acid, forming water, whilst the remainder of the oxygen combines with the nitrogen. ”

“ Fraction 1 is now converted to the double ammonium nitrates, which allow of a readier separation at this stage; two fractions are obtained, of which the less soluble, fraction 5, is the fairly pure lanthanum compound, whilst the more soluble, fraction 6, contains the praseodymium with a little lanthanum. The lanthanum ammonium nitrate, fraction 5, is converted into the anhydrous sulphate, which is dissolved in ice-water; when the solution is gradually warmed, the enneahydrate, La2 (SO4) 3,9H2O, separates, and may be obtained perfectly pure by recrystallisation. ”

“ Ammonium nitrate purchaser.--The term ``ammonium nitrate purchaser'' means any person who purchases ammonium nitrate from an ammonium nitrate facility. SEC. 899B. [6 U.S.C. 488A] REGULATION OF THE SALE AND TRANSFER OF AMMONIUM NITRATE. (a) In General.--The Secretary shall regulate the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate by an ammonium nitrate facility in accordance with this subtitle to prevent the misappropriation or use of ammonium nitrate in an act of terrorism. ”

“ Some Blasting Explosives
Ammonal: ammonium nitrate 80 to 90 per cent, aluminium 4 to 18 per cent, charcoal 2 to 6 per cent. The more violent mixtures contain some trinitrotoluene in addition. Has been used in grenades and by Austrians in trench-howitzer bombs. Not suitable in underground workings owing to poisonous gases evolved.
Astralit: a mixture of ammonium nitrate and blasting gelatine. May contain wood-meal, trinitrotoluene, paraffin-oil. Has been used for projectiles. ”

“ Such a case would be presented for instance, in that of a fertilizer containing dried blood, sodium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate. It is evident here that the total nitrogen could be determined by the volumetric method by combustion with copper oxid, or by the moist combustion process adapted to nitric nitrogen, but the method of determining the percentage of each constituent has not yet been described.
We have to deal here with a case entirely similar to that of phosphoric acid in a superphosphate. There is no doubt whatever of the uneven assimilability of the different forms of nitrogen. ”

“ Strong or weak solutions of these substances also decompose it, producing some alkali nitrate and nitrite, the cellulose molecule being only partially restored, some quantity undergoing oxidation. Ammonia is also active, but not quite in the same manner as the alkali hydroxides. Dry guncotton heated in ammonia gas detonates at about 70°, and ammonium hydroxide solutions of all strengths slowly decompose it, yielding somewhat complex products. Alkali sulphohydrates reduce guncotton, or other nitrated celluloses, completely to cellulose. ”

“ Ammonium sulphide blackens it, and it is coluble in solution of ammonium acetate, which distinguishes it from barium sulphate. Strong sulphuric acid dissolves it, forming an acid salt, Pb (HSO4) 2, which is hydrolysed by adding water, the normal sulphate being precipitated; hence the milkiness exhibited by samples of oil of vitriol on dilution.
Lead nitrate, Pb (NO3) 2, is obtained by dissolving the metal or oxide in aqueous nitric acid; it forms white crystals, difficultly soluble in cold water, readily in hot water and almost insoluble in strong nitric acid. ”

“ From an examination of the drainage waters from lands dressed with the nitrates of ammonium and sodium, the authors conclude that ammonium salts, as well as sodium nitrate, will be more economically applied in the spring than in the winter. Manures containing organic nitrogen are clearly not so liable to loss from drainage. ”

“ The nitrate of this base (known as nitron) is so insoluble that nitrates may be gravimetrically estimated with its help. These bases combine with the alkyl iodides triazolié to yield quaternary ammonium salts. ”

“ The ammonia in the air, water, and soil proceeds from the decomposition of the nitrogenous substances of plants and animals, and also probably from the reduction of nitrates. Ammonia is always formed in the rusting of iron. Its formation in this case depends in all probability on the decomposition of water, and on the action of the hydrogen at the moment of its evolution on the nitric acid contained in the air (Cloez) , or on the formation of ammonium nitrite, which takes place under many circumstances. ”

“ If the nitrification consisted in the production of nitrates only, the ammonia would diminish without any corresponding production of nitrous acid. In mother solutions which contain ammonium carbonate instead of sulfate, it should not be forgotten that the ammonia might gradually disappear owing to the volatilization of the carbonate without any corresponding production of free nitrites or nitrates. ”

“ Ammonium nitrite, NH4NO2, is formed by oxidizing ammonia with ozone or hydrogen peroxide; by precipitating barium or lead nitrites with ammonium sulphate, or silver nitrite with ammonium chloride. The precipitate is filtered off and the solution concentrated. It forms colourless crystals which are soluble in water and decompose on heating, with the formation of nitrogen. ”

“ This reaction proceeds in virtue of the fact that potassium nitrite and ammonium chloride are salts which, on interchanging their metals, give potassium chloride and ammonium nitrite, NH4NO2, which breaks up into water and nitrogen. This reaction does not take place without the aid of heat, but it proceeds very easily at a moderate temperature. Of the resultant substances, the nitrogen only is gaseous. Pure nitrogen may be obtained by drying the resultant gas and passing it through a solution of sulphuric acid (to absorb a certain quantity of ammonia which is evolved in the reaction) . ”

“ In this process of nitrification we can distinguish two phases, first the formation of nitrites, and secondly their oxidation to nitrates. The researches of Warington in England and Winogradsky on the Continent have satisfactorily shown that two distinct organisms are concerned in it, and that probably more than one species of each exists. One of them comprising the genera Nitrosomonas and Nitrosococcus, has the power of oxidizing salts of ammonium to the condition of compounds of nitrous acid. When in a pure culture this stage has been reached no further oxidation takes place. ”

“ If a large excess of chlorine water be poured into a beaker, and a small quantity of a solution of ammonia be added, then, after shaking, nitrogen is evolved. If chlorine act on a dilute solution of ammonia, the volume of nitrogen does not correspond with the volume of the chlorine taken, because ammonium hypochlorite is formed. If ammonia gas be passed through a fine orifice into a vessel containing chlorine, the reaction of the formation of nitrogen is accompanied by the emission of light and the appearance of a cloud of sal-ammoniac. ”

“ Ammonia is produced by the union of azote and hydrogen, and carbonic acid by that of carbon and oxygen. He considers then, that the presence of lime, magnesia, potash, &c. determines [71] the union of the azote with oxygen, and of course, the formation of nitric acid; and as this acid unites with one or other of these substances, according to circumstances, we have either nitrate of lime, or of magnesia, or nitrate of potassa. The idea that water is decomposed in the change which animal and vegetable substances undergo, in the process of nitrification, is contrary to observation ”

“ In one pot, he put common salt and oil of vitriol; in another pot, animal matter. Being conducted by pipes into the chamber, the gases united, and sal ammoniac was formed. Other improvements have been made, as obtaining ammonia from coal soot, &c.
Ammonia is generated in artificial nitre beds, and is at first united with nitric acid; which compound is subsequently decomposed, as the process of putrefaction goes on, by the potassa, calcareous earth, &c. present in nitre beds. See Nitrate of Potassa. ”

“ This means that, where we have now to burn 100 tons of fuel, we shall have to burn 125 tons in the producers in order to obtain ammonia equal to about half the nitrogen contained therein. Our actual yield of ammonia on a large scale amounting on an average to 32 kilos., equal to 70.6 lb. per ton of fuel, 125 tons of fuel will turn out 4 tons of sulphate of ammonia. We thus consume 6.25 tons of fuel for every ton of sulphate obtained, or nearly the same quantity as is used in producing a ton of caustic soda by the Le Blanc process—a product not more than half the value of ammonium sulphate. ”

“ In the last chapter we saw that nitrogen does not directly combine with hydrogen, but that a mixture of these gases in the presence of hydrochloric acid gas, HCl, forms ammonium chloride, NH4Cl, on the passage of a series of electric sparks. [1] In ammonium chloride, HCl is combined with NH3, consequently N with H3 forms ammonia. [2] Almost all the nitrogenous substances of plants and animals evolve ammonia when heated with an alkali. ”

“ The ammonia produced in the soil under normal field conditions is rapidly oxidised successively to nitrite and to nitrate, a process known as nitrification. The process of nitrification is more rapid than that of ammonia production, with the consequence that no more than traces of ammonia are able to accumulate. ”

“ These decay rapidly when added to the soil and are particularly valuable when applied to light soils, where nitrates or ammonia leach too rapidly and should not be applied until the crops are up and growing. They make available during their processes of fermentation the phosphoric acid and potash already present in the soil. Sulphate of ammonia, containing about twenty per cent. of nitrogen is a valuable chemical form in which to secure nitrogen as it does not leach from the soil as nitrate of soda does and so can be made available by the plant without loss. ”

“ If some wool be placed in a dry glass tube, and heated strongly so as to cause destructive distillation, products containing much carbonate of ammonium are given off. The ammonia is easily detected by its smell of hartshorn and the blue colour produced on a piece of reddened litmus paper, the latter being a general test to distinguish alkalis, like ammonia, soda, and potash, from acids. No vegetable fibres will, under any circumstances, give off ammonia. ”

“ It is to be hoped that future research will indicate what are the conditions that produce the greatest economy of energy material in nitrogen fixation.
The fixation of nitrogen in soil is depressed by the presence of considerable amounts of nitrates. This is, in all probability, due to the fact that nitrogen-fixing organisms are able to utilise compounds of nitrogen where these are available. The energy needed to build up amino-acids and proteins from nitrate or ammonia is, of course, far less than that required to build up these substances from elemental nitrogen. ”