Updated 05-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about AMMONIUM NITRATE!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: ammonium nitrate has the chemical formula NH4NO3, simplified to N2H4O3 . it is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer . its other major use is as many countries are phasing out its use in consumer applications due to concerns over its potential for misuse . ammonium nitrate was mined there in the past, but virtually 100% of the chemical now used is synthetic AN melt is then made into “prills” or small beads in a spray tower, or into granules . ammonia required for this process is obtained by the Haber process from nitrogen and hydrogen the type V crystal is a quasicubic form related to caesium chloride . it is less concentrated than urea (46-0-0), giving ammonium nitrate a slight transportation disadvantage . a ban on ammonium sulfate was imposed in the former malakand division . it followed reports that the chemicals were used by militants to make explosives . due to these bans, “pot ammonium nitrate reacts with combustible and reducing materials as a strong oxidant . it was sometimes used to blast away earth to make farm ponds . Numerous safety guidelines are ammonium nitrate has a critical relative humidity of 59.4%, above which it will absorb moisture from the atmosphere . it should not be stored near combustible substances . the potential for use of ammonium nitrate as an explosive has prompted regulatory measures . licences are granted only to applicants with appropriate security measures in place to prevent any misuse . additional uses such as education and research purposes stockpiles of ammonium nitrate can be a major fire risk due to supporting oxidation . explosion happens by the mechanism of shock-to-detonation transition . the explosion results from pure, compact AN is stable and very difficult to ignite . numerous cases exist when even impure AN did not explode in a fire . “deflagration-to-detonation transition” is a