Ammonium Nitrate Ammonium nitrate was a key ingredient in a bomb that killed hundreds of people. It is an odorless crystal salt that can be either white or grey. It is created by a combination of ammonia and nitric acid. (ammonium Nitrate fact sheet). The primary uses for this chemical are fertilizers and cold packs, as well as military explosives (Mathews J, 2014). Not only is it an oxidizer but under enough heat and pressure, it can explode (ammonium Nitrate fact sheet). This explosive property leads to it being labeled a hazardous chemical in toxicology reports. In the past it has been a part of terrorism attacks such as the Oklahoma City bombing and accidental explosions in fertilizer factories. The Oklahoma City bombing is known as …show more content…
Prills, granules, and crystals are primarily used in fertilizers. Low density prills and grains are the kind found in explosives (Ammonium Nitrate). Ammonium nitrate is extremely soluble, which is necessary for its use in cold packs. The ammonium nitrate is dissolved into water which causes an endothermic reaction. This means that the temperature of the cold pack will drop immediately after the two substances are mixed causing an instant cold pack (Mathews, J 2014). Fertilizers, similar to herbicides and fungicides, are chemical products used that control how a plant is able to grow. They often contain ammonium nitrate which is very beneficial to the plant (ammonium Nitrate fact sheet). In fertilizer ammonium nitrate is often combined with Urea and other chemicals, It provides nitrogen to the plant through nitrate which is much more quickly delivered at the roots, as well as ammonium nitrate which takes longer (Ammonium Nitrate Fact Sheet). Both are forms of nitrogen, whose purpose is defending against pests, new leaf growth and is part of the chlorophyll molecule that keeps the plant green among other things. It is one of the most effective and beneficial forms of plant fertilizer, and therefore extremely widely used. However the most common use for ammonium nitrate is military explosives. The form of ammonium nitrate used in explosives in called a granule, which is created by continually spraying the …show more content…
This was called the Oklahoma City Bombing. They parked a truck containing a homemade bomb in front of the federal building. The explosion covered a huge area, damaging over 300 different buildings. The main components of this bomb were diesel fuel, Nitromethane and a small concentration of ammonium nitrate. (May 21,2010). These chemicals together were a Synergistic reaction, meaning they were much more dangerous together than one alone would be. These were mixed along with other chemicals in barrels, with a total of 13. Then nine 15 pound bags of fertilizer containing ammonium nitrate were placed in the truck along with the barrels and other commercially made explosives. These bags of fertilizer were meant to act as an accelerant. A time delayed fuse was used to light the bomb that killed such a large amount of people (Doughtrey J, 2001). Both of the assailants did survive the blast but were apprehended quickly. They shared their motivation to be an act against government, sparking many counterterrorism actions in the years
On 26 February 1993 at 12:17, a yellow RYDER van detonated on level B-2 of the World Trade Center North tower. What was first believed to be a below grade transformer explosion turned into an extensive test of New York Cities Incident Command capabilities. Everyone involved had an intricate part in handling this situation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was able to get all support assets there promptly to assist in rescue operations. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discovered information on the vehicle used. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) used all of the intelligence gathered to apprehend and convict those responsible. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted cleanup of chemical and biological hazards that were left behind from the blast. Numerous agencies worked together to solve the first terrorist attack on American soil and clean up a disaster of epic proportions.
Ammonium nitrate, on its own, is relatively harmless in regards to explosives. Ammonium Nitrate is a secondary explosive; it requires a primary explosive for detonation. It is able to burn without detonating and can withstand shock in which primary explosives are unable to do When ammonium nitrate is mixed with fuel oil and detonated the results can be catastrophic. The Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 is evidence of the impact of a blast using ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, known as ANFO. Timothy McVeigh parked a van filled with ammonium nit...
"Chemical Warfare Agents - Resources on the health effects from chemical weapons, emergency response & treatment, counterterrorism, and emergency preparedness.au.af." Specialized Information Services - Reliable information on toxicology, environmental health, chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and minority health. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
Outside of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Timothy McVeigh parked a rental truck loaded with a diesel-fuel-fertilizer bomb then immediately fled leaving the bomb to explode minutes later. While Timothy McVeigh was trying to flee not even an hour in, he was stopped for a traffic violation.
On September 1994, McVeigh purchased large amounts of fertilizer and then stored it in a rented shed in Herington, Kansas. The ammonium nitrate that they had purchased was the main component for the bomb to be destructive. On April 17, 1995, McVeigh rented a Ryder truck and then McVeigh and Nichols loaded the Ryder truck with 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. On the morning of April 19th, McVeigh drove the Ryder truck to the Murrah Federal Building, lit the bomb's fuse, parked in front of the building, left the keys inside the truck and locked the door, he then began to walk across the parking lot to an alley and then started to go for a jog. The bomb was destructive and cost the lives of thousands of people and the destruction of a building. After the explosion of the bomb and after weeks of looking through the remaining debris, 168 people were killed in the explosion, including 19 children. One nurse was also found dead during the rescue operation as
People around the world often get together under the most negative circumstances. Once a disaster strikes many will gather in order to help the best that they could. The Oklahoma City bombing is only one of these events which occurred almost 19 years ago. At exactly 9:02 am a bomb was detonated on April 19, 1995. This mass murder was considered the largest terrorist attack before the September 11 attacks in 2001. The bomb was located in a rental truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The nation shook as each floor of the building collapsed. The main suspect was a former army soldier, Timothy McVeigh was all to blame with a few accomplices by his side. This attack occurred due to a mixture of both diesel fuel and fertilizer in the powerful bomb. As will become evident the Oklahoma City bombing resulted in panic worldwide, increased security, government legislations and injuries that will impede the lives of hundreds for years to come. Shortly after the bombing occurred the investigation commenced with hundreds of people rummaging through the collapsed establishment looking for survivors. Many authors suggest that McVeigh and his accomplices, Terry Nichols and Micheal Fortier left many pieces of evidence behind which led to their fast discovery. McVeigh was convicted of murder and received the death penalty by lethal injection on June 11, 2001. His accomplices however did not receive the punishment they deserved since Nichols who helped create the bomb only received multiple life sentences and Fortier who was aware of the bomb plot was given 12 years in jail. Some of McVeigh’s motives included his obsession with guns growing up, his distrust in the federal government as well as his rage ...
On April 17, 2013, the community of West, Texas, suffered a devastating and heartbreaking event in the evening hours. After a fire broke out inside the West Fertilizer plant, a massive explosion leveled the facility, caused millions of dollars in damage to surrounding buildings, and took the lives of over a dozen people. Sadly, the majority of those killed were volunteer firefighters who had responded to the fire and were unable to retreat to a safe distance before the explosion. Nearly 200 injuries were also reported to have been treated at local hospitals (Wood, 2013). The explosion was said to be caused by the combination of the fire and large stores of ammonium nitrate fertilizer at the plant.
Gillam, C. M. (2013, May 7). Ammonium nitrate stores exploded at Texas plant: state agency. Reuters.
In short, Timothy McVeigh was responsible for the worst single man act of mass murder in the United States history. McVeigh used a mixture of agricultural chemicals and diesel fuel in his homemade bomb to destroy the Oklahoma City’s Murrah Federal building on April 19th, 1995. The bombing killed 168 human lives, including 19 children. In 2001, after six years of investigations and trials, Timothy McVeigh was put to death for his evil
The fertilizer pellets used are made out of N.P.K. (Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium). When used properly there is no risk of over fertilizing or “burning” the plants (H. Lauffer, D. Lauffer, and Williams). The pellets are balanced proportionally and are very safe to use.
- The amount of times the mixture was stirred. We stirred the mixture until the Ammonium Nitrate was dissolved, so the amount of times we stirred after each teaspoon was different.
The ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests are used to determine if the fish’s environment is safe to live in or if the water is too toxic. Ammonia and nitrite are very toxic while nitrate is mostly harmless. To eliminate these chemicals, adding more bacterial supplement will cause the cycle to continue at a faster rate. These tests also show how the nitrogen cycle is progressing in the tank. As the cycle progresses, ammonia will decrease while nitrite increases. Then nitrite decreases and nitrate increases. Then nitrate decreases and your tank should be balanced.
The explosive was codenamed "Little Boy" which held 15 Kilotons of TNT, it was the smaller one of the pair. It was the very first atomic bomb to ever be detonated which justifies the devastating explosion, it was definitely the start of weapons capable of mass destruction, the explosion was so large that it was able to kill 70,000 people almost instantly and approximately 70,000 more over time from the exposure to dangerous levels of radiation. Followed by the second bomb of the pair dropped over Nagasaki, Japan on August 9th, 2016, delivered by the same aircraft that delivered the first one. The explosive was deployed at 11:02 am resulting in yet another extreme explosion. This explosive was also
Sodium Nitrates and Nitrites, are two of the most common food additives in America. Nitrites are compounds consisting of one nitrogen atom and two oxygen atoms, while nitrates contain one nitrogen atom, and 3 oxygen atoms. These additives are most commonly used in processed meat products in order to increase shelf life and give these processed meats their distinctive red color and flavor. (UK Food Guide) Nitrates, and Nitrites are in meats such as ham, bacon, corned beef, etc. These additives stop the growth of bacterial spores that cause botulism, one of the deadliest foodborne illnesses. However, what is not always known is that these additives have been proven to be carcinogenic, meaning that consumption of too much of these kinds of processed
White in colour and is usually sold in crystallized pellets or powder, urea is widely used in the agricultural industry as fertilizers. This is due to the high nitrogen content of urea where it has around 46.67% as compared to other nitrogenous fertilizer where ammonium nitrate contains only 35.00% and ammonium sulphate 21.21%. This makes urea the highest amount of nitrogen per mass total among the three and is the lowest cost per pound nitrogen. (D.W. James, 2010)