Ammonium Nitrate

Ammonium nitrate is an ionic salt formed by one positive (NH4)+(NH4)+ and one negative ion (NO3)−(NO3)−. It is a white crystalline solid and is soluble in water. It is also used in ammonia dynamites and also as oxidizing agents in ammonals.

Prilled fertilizer forms when a drop of concentrated ammonium nitrate solution (95 percent to 99 percent) falls from a tower and solidifies. Low-density prills are more porous than high-density prills and are preferred for industrial use, while high-density prills are used as fertilizer.

Ammonium nitrate is a popular fertilizer since it provides half of the N in the nitrate form and half in the ammonium form. The nitrate form moves readily with soil water to the roots, where it’s immediately available for plant uptake. The ammonium fraction is taken up by roots or gradually converted to nitrate by soil microorganisms. Many vegetable growers prefer an immediately available nitrate source of plant nutrition and use ammonium nitrate.