Ammonium nitrate is an ammonium salt, which is a white crystalline powder, easily soluble in water, easy to absorb moisture and agglomerate, and absorbs a lot of heat when dissolved. It is an oxidant, which explodes and decomposes when it is violently impacted or heated, and decomposes when it meets alkali. It is mainly used as fertilizer and industrial and military explosives. It can also be used as insecticide, refrigerant, nitrogen oxide absorbent, laughing gas, fireworks and so on.
Pure ammonium nitrate is stable at room temperature and insensitive to impact, collision or friction. However, under the conditions of high temperature, high pressure and oxidizable substances (reducing agents), it will explode under electric spark. Ammonium nitrate cannot explode when the water content is above 3%, but it will still decompose at a certain temperature. Safety regulations must be strictly observed in production, storage, transportation and use.
Ammonium nitrate is an extremely insensitive explosive, which is even less sensitive than safety explosive C4. An industrial 8# detonator (C4 can only be detonated by 6#) is not enough to detonate ammonium nitrate mixed with sensitizer. Ammonium nitrate is the most difficult explosive to detonate, and its impact sensitivity is: 50kg hammer, 50cm falling height, 0% explosion.
Compared with the 200g hammer of nitroglycerin, the falling height of 20cm and the explosion sensitivity of 100% show the insensitivity of ammonium nitrate. Moreover, once ammonium nitrate is dissolved in water, the initiation sensitivity is greatly reduced, and it is impossible for human beings to impact and detonate.