Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of the planet as a precursor to foodstuffs and fertilizers. Therefore, because the pka of water is lower than ammonia, it is a stronger acid the ammonia and will donate protons to the ammonia base. Another application is as the recirculating fluid in refrigeration. When ammonia is heated to decomposition, it emits toxic fumes and nitrogen oxides. At normal pressure and temperature, anhydrous ammonia is a colorless gas. Considered one of the most hazardous chemicals utilized by the farming and agriculture fertilizer industries, in an anhydrous ammonia handling system, the hose connection is often considered the weakest link. Anhydrous ammonia, safety standards for chapter 296826. Ammonia has great affinity for water and reacts with galvanized metals, cast iron, copper, brass or copper alloys. Anhydrous means without water and is very caustic to humans.
As a fertilizer, it provides essential nitrogen for plants and is imperative that proper precautions are taken to ensure that it is handled correctly. Where anhydrous ammonia is stored indoors, use electrical ventilating, lighting and material handling equipment with the appropriate electrical classification rating and use only nonsparking tools. Liquid ammonia has a very high standard enthalpy change of vaporization 23. Ammonia is incompatible or has potentially hazardous reactions with silver.
Anhydrous ammonia is an important fertilizer in north dakota and is a key factor in the productivity of our states agriculture. It is hoped that this book will prove valuable to safety advisers, environmental. The facts about ammonia ammonia solutions for industrial use may be concen new york state department of health note to reader. Refrigerant grade anhydrous ammonia is a clear, colorless liquid or gas, free from. Chemical reaction would proceed in an air ammonia mix, even outside the concentration range at which the reaction is selfsustaining, particularly if there were a catalyst to help.
Ammonia nh3 or h3n cid 222 structure, chemical names, physical and chemical properties, classification, patents, literature, biological activities, safety. Ammonium hydroxide or anhydrous ammonia which is also used to manufacture meth is a starting material for this explosive. The ammonia and air flows were measured, and a flow ratio controller was supposed to keep the ammonia concentration below the explosive level fig. It is stored and handled as a liquid under pressure. However, anhydrous ammonia can pose a risk to human health due to its chemical properties. Control and pollution prevention options for ammonia. Lithium works as a catalyst with the anhydrous ammonia to remove. Remove victim to fresh air and keep at rest in a position comfortable for breathing.
What caused a massive, deadly explosion at a texas. Reducing nox with sncr and scr systems using ammonia solution. May 24, 2004 anhydrous ammonia definition is ammonia in its pure form that contains no water. Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula nh 3. Anhydrous ammonia reacts to form explosive products, mixtures or compounds with mercury, gold, silver, iodine, bromine, silver oxide and silver chloride.
It reacts with moist tissues to form ammonium hydroxide in an exothermic reaction. Ammonia vapour may evolve from the solution and so should be treated in the ame way as anhydrous ammonia. Anhydrous ammonia forms explosive mixtures in air with hydrocarbons, chlorine, fluorine and silver nitrate. Anhydrous ammonia has potentially explosive reactions with strong oxidizers. It makes up about four fifths of the air we breathe. The odour recognition threshold for ammonia ranges from 0. The ammonium nitrate combines with sodium hydroxide a strong base, and the ensuing chemical reaction produces anhydrous ammonia. Ammonia has potentially explosive or violent reactions with interhalogens, strong oxidizers, nitric acid, fluorine, and nitrogen oxide.
Anhydrous ammonia an overview sciencedirect topics. All anhydrous ammonia agriretail sites in canada must be fully compliant with. Final product is granulated ad coated to prevent caking. It is predominantly used in agriculture as a highnitrogen fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound, the nitrate salt of the ammonium cation. The air force and reaction motors spent a lot of time deciding if that was the right answer versus some hydrocarbon like jp4. Ammonia solution, also known as aqueous ammonia or ammonium hydroxide, is ammonia dissolved in water. Another easy way of making ammonia gas is mixing an ammonium salt e. Accident prevention and response manual for anhydrous ammonia refrigeration system operators. Hans pasman, in risk analysis and control for industrial processes gas, oil and chemicals, 2015.
Reaction motors had already decided to use ammonia on the viking engine xlr10 that the xlr99 derived from. It is a white crystalline solid and is highly soluble in water. The nh4oh is slowly dropped from a pressureequalized addition funnel onto the naoh in a cooled reaction vessel, the evolving nh3 is dried by a drying tube containing koh and cao, the resulting nh3 is dry enough for all to me known purposes. The rules in this book are effective december 2015. Anhydrous ammonia fertilizer isnt normally considered an. At 12900 f 690o c or in the presence of an electric spark, ammonia decomposes into nitrogen and hydrogen gases, which may form a flammable mixture in the air. When anhydrous which means without water ammonia meets with water, the reaction gives off heat and forms caustic ammonium hydroxide.
As a refrigerant, it can be found at ice works, cold stores and various food processing facilities e. Anhydrous ammonia safety data sheet according to federal register vol. There is a case in franklin county, missouri of a man heating ammonium nitrate to make the anhydrous ammonia with disastrous results, and hed have made nitrous oxide if hed averted the explosion. Nh4cl or nh4no3 or nh42so4 with a slight excess of solid naoh and then add just a few drops of water to. The concentration of aqueous ammonia solutions for household use is typically 5% to 10% weight. Fmcsa grants a 2year, limited exemption from the federal hoursofservice hos regulations for the transportation of anhydrous ammonia from any distribution point to a local farm retailer or to the ultimate consumer, and from a local farm retailer to the ultimate consumer, as long as the transportation takes place within a 100 air mile radius of the retail or wholesale distribution. Anhydrous ammonia, as we have seen, is a starting material for the production of ammonium nitrate. Both of these reactions form an odourless ammonium salt. Why was the texas fertilizer plant explosion so deadly. Liquid ammonia will attack some forms of plastics, rubber, and coatings. Anhydrous ammonia is a clear, colorless gas at standard temperature and pressure conditions and has a very characteristic odor. Nevertheless, in the absence of a suitable catalyst, the reaction of ammonia with oxygen proceeds mainly according to equation 2, and, although ammonia burns in air with difficulty 3, 5, it can indeed burn 3, 58 and even explode 6, 7.
Anhydrous ammonia is the compound formed by the combination of the two gaseous elements, nitrogen and hydrogen, in the proportion of one part of nitrogen to three parts of hydrogen by volume. Anhydrous ammonia will react exothermically with acids and water. Normally, i recommend trial and error as a development methodology in a case like this, but heres a tip. Material safety data sheet anhydrous ammonia section 2. Myrmp program 3 guidance materials are designed to assist you in conducting a process hazard analysis of a covered process at a retail facility. The permissible exposure limit pel in the united states is 50 ppm 35 mgm 3, while the idlh concentration is estimated at 300 ppm. Ammonia has potentially explosive or violent reactions with interhalogens, strong. December 28, 2018 anhydrous ammonia page 5 of 8 reactivity. Liquid ammonia can also attack rubber and certain plastics.
Hazardous materials in the workplace can cause severe health problems andor physical injury to the worker. The level controller on the vaporizer was out of order, and the level of ammonia was being controlled manually. About ammonia ammonia is a colorless gas and it has a characteristic, pungent, choking odor. Anhydrous ammonia, aqua ammonia, aqueous ammonia note. Although it is in wide use, ammonia is caustic and hazardous. Like fertilizers, many of the most famous bombmaking chemicals are nitrogen compounds. Anhydrous ammonia is classified as toxic t and dangerous for the environment n.
Original publication 1997, revised 2006 holderness fire department, holderness, nh. Anhydrous ammonia, the substance that exploded catastrophically wednesday at a company in west, tex. Pliny, in book xxxi of his natural history, refers to a salt produced in the roman. These reactions may be violent andor may form explosive products. Safer to use than anhydrous ammonia, ammonia solution is an efficient alternative reagent for nox reduction to control emissions in power plants and utilities.
Anhydrous ammonia is used mainly as an agricultural fertiliser, industrial refrigerant and in the manufacture of ammonium nitrate based fertilisers and explosives. Ammonia will combine with mercury to form a fulminate which is an unstable explosive compound. Ammonia is a commonly used chemical in commercial and household cleaners. Anhydrous ammonia is a highly effective fertilizer that helps farmers feed our growing population and replenish nutrients in the soil. Anhydrous ammonia is a liquid or gaseous chemical compound used in various applications, including cleaning, fertilizer production, and drug manufacturing. Ammonia nh is a colorless irritant gas with a pungent order that is readily soluble in water to generate ammonium nh ions1 ammonia is a natural byproduct in the human body as an intermediate in several metabolic reactions primarily involving amino acid synthesis2 it also gets produced in the human gut as a result of various enzymatic actions of bacteria. Where anhydrous ammonia is stored indoors, use electrical ventilating, lighting and material handling equipment with the appropriate electrical classification rating and. Although nh 3 does not meet the dot definition of a flammable gas for labeling purposes, it should be treated. The anhydrous part of the name refers to the fact that theres no water involved in the reaction that makes it. Aug 30, 20 so you want to build an extremely lethal bomb. The reactant ammonia is stored as a pressurized liquid in a tank or cylinder. At a concentration of only 50 parts per million ppm, one sniff tells what is in the air. It is highly soluble in water, with one volume of water absorbing 1.
Ammonia is also flammable and explosive at the right concentrations, which is more likely to happen when released. Apr 18, 20 at least five people are dead and more than 160 injured after an explosion at an anhydrous ammonia fertilizer plant in the small texas town of west. The different strengths of aquacataqua ammonia are typically made in a stepwise process with successive additions of anhydrous ammonia. The odor is the strongest safety feature of the product. The hose water might have set off the anhydrous ammonia, creating a chain reaction. The chemical compound ammonium nitrate, the nitrate of ammonia with the chemical formula nh4no3, is a white crystalline solid at room temperature and standard pressure.
Ammonia, either directly or indirectly, is a building block for the synthesis of many pharmaceuticals. When this happens in the body, the reaction can cause fluid to accumulate in the lungs, irritation of the large airways bronchitis, inflammatory lung disease. In other words, when its just sitting quietly somewhere, ammonium nitrate isnt that big of a problem because it needs a relatively high activation energy the energy needed to cause a chemical. Anhydrous ammonia north dakota department of agriculture. Its other major use is as a component of explosive mixtures used. The vapor is visible as a white cloud by absorption of, and reaction with, the. Ammonium nitrate is hydroscopic very explosive used in sandy soils applicationsidedress, injectbroadcast and incorporateband can be mixed to become less hazardous but this lowers grade. Ammonia was initially produced to make explosives but was repurposed as a.
This fact sheet is intended to provide general awareness and education on a specific chemical agent. Avoid anhydrous ammonia contact with chlorine, which forms a chloramine gas, which is a. Ammonia was vaporized, mixed with air, and then passed over a catalyst. Ammonia has a slight flammable gas classification at level 1. Since one volume of nitrogen weighs fourteen times as much as one volume of hydrogen, on a weight basis, the ratio is fourteen parts of nitrogen to three. Anhydrous ammonia corrodes copper and zinccontaining alloys, and so brass fittings should not be used for handling the gas. It is a common nitrogenous waste, particularly among aquatic organisms, and it contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. But that being said it is used extensively as a refrigerant in food plants, cold storage, ice plants. Cdc niosh pocket guide to chemical hazards ammonia. Ammonia anhydrous or as solution containing more than 50% by weight of. How to develop an extremely lethal bomb using ammonium. Anhydrous ammonia is the refrigerant gas used at the holderness school icerink.
Regulations federal motor carrier safety administration. The nitrogen component of the substance is inert in the combustion reaction and accounts for the limited flammability of anhydrous ammonia. At least five people are dead and more than 160 injured after an explosion at an anhydrous ammonia fertilizer plant in the small texas town of west. Therefore, the star ledger was right that ammoniaair mixtures can be explosive 1, although readings of 16,000 parts of ammonia per million are far from the explosive range.
Nitrogen is a gas that does not react with other chemicals very easily. Reaction of ammonium nitrate or ammonium chloride with a concentrated sodium hydroxide solution. However, at very high tempeature and pressure, it will convert to ammonia. At atmospheric temperature and pressures, anhydrous ammonia is a pungent colorless gas. Hazardous identification hazardous ingredient wt% ammonia 99. Anhydrous ammonia boils at 28f and freezes to a white crystalline mass at 108f. Nitrogen triiodide, a primary high explosive, is formed when ammonia comes in contact with iodine. Ammonia anhydrous cargo handbook the worlds largest. In agriculture, ammonia can be used for crop processing, fertilizers, or as an antifungal treatment for citrus. This online tool is designed to walk users through the process of identifying the potential hazards associated with a process and uses logic to promote the notation of mitigative actions and dates. The auto ignition temperature is 1,204f if catalyzed and 1,570f if uncatalyzed.
Search the internet for articles about west, texas where a fertilizer plant basically took out a town. Employees who work regularly with anhydrous ammonia and are subject to overexposure either to the liquid or the vapor should be provided with proper safety equipment. The north dakota department of agriculture regulates the storage, distribution, and sale of anhydrous ammonia. When in contact with chlorates it forms explosive ammonium chlorate kirkothmer, 3rd ed. Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula nh3. Ammonia is a chemical consisting of one atom of nitrogen and three atoms of. A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent smell. Ammonia water, the higher the concentration the better, minimum 10% and lots of naoh waterfree. This is done to increase the concentration of the ammonia in the liquid and, at the same time, allows the removal of the excess heat of reaction.
Ammonia anhydrous or aqueous or ammonium sulphate can be used for ammoniation and should be added after disinfection and partial dechlorination if applicable. When ammonia mixes with gas andor air it forms an explosive mixture. One method is to place a saturated ammonium chloride solution in an ice bath and connect two carbon or lead rods from a battery placed in the solution to a battery charger. Of course, the gaseous ammonia, produced in this way, still contains a little water vapor, so you need to dry the gas if your reaction really needs anhydrous ammonia. Exothermic reaction a chemical reaction in which heat is released and. Without the crop yield made possible by ammonia based fertilizers and chemicals, the global population would be at least two to three billion less than it is today 3. Ammonia used commercially is usually named anhydrous ammonia.
Ammonia forms sensitive explosive mixtures with air and hydrocarbons, ethanol and silver nitrate, and chlorine. At normal atmospheric pressure, ammonia has a boiling point of 28 ef and a freezing point of 107. Anhydrous ammonia material safety data sheet tanner industries. For agricultural use, anhydrous ammonia is at least 99. Hose master offers a durable, safe, and long lasting solution for anhydrous ammonia hose applications. Another concern is the gas that was stored at the plant. Truly, ammonium nitrate is a relatively stable compound, according to the u. Ammonium nitrate is most commonly made from anhydrous ammonia gas. It is commonly used in agriculture as a highnitrogen fertilizer, and it has also been used as an oxidizing agent in explosives, including improvised explosive devices. Essentially nonflammable, non explosive 180 kwh of electricity from 15 gallons ammonia 38 kg with 50% efficient fuel cell system. Anhydrous ammonia reacts to form explosive products, mixtures or.
Reducing nox with sncr and scr systems using ammonia. The ndda also uses outreach and education to the public and. There really is no difference between anhydrous ammonia and pure ammonia. Avoid anhydrous ammonia contact with chemicals such as hydrocarbons, strong oxidizers, mercury, chlorine, iodine, bromine, silver oxide or hypochlorites. Ammonia dissolves readily in water to form ammonium hydroxidean alkaline solution. Ammonium nitrate cargo handbook the worlds largest. Meaning of flammability limits and reaction in air of ammonia. In industry, ammonia is used in petroleum refining, to manufacture pharmaceuticals, to disinfect water, and as a refrigerant. Anhydrous ammonia is stored as a liquid, mainly either in chemical works or. Anhydrous ammonia, west texas explosion, popular science. Anhydrous ammonia safety data sheet tanner industries. Once exposed to open air, liquid ammonia quickly turns into a gas. However, ammonia vapor in high concentrations 16 to 25 percent by weight in air will burn.
It is drawn from the tank above the liquidvapor interface to assure that anhydrous ammonia vapor is supplied to the dissociator. Anhydrous ammonia is a gas that can cause severe burns when it comes in contact with human skin, richard ferguson, professor of soil science at the university of nebraskalincoln told. Readily combines with silver oxide or mercury to form compounds that explode on contact with halogens. Ammonia production has become one of the most important industries in the world. Ammonia is available as a liquid in cylinders 49 and 65 kg or drums 500 kg. Anhydrous ammonia is classified by the department of transportation as nonflammable. But what makes ammonium nitrate capable of such lethal explosions. Anhydrous ammonia forms explosive mixtures in air with hydrocarbons, chlorine. Anhydrous ammonia is dry ammonia or pure undiluted ammonia. Manufactured through the reaction of anhydrous ammonia and nitric acid. Undergoes potentially violent or explosive reactions on contact with 1,2dichloroethane with liquid ammonia, boron halides, ethylene oxide polymerization, perchlorates or strong oxidants chromyl chloride, chromium trioxide, chromic acid, nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, chlorates, fluorine, nitrogen oxide, liquid oxygen. Anhydrous ammonia definition of anhydrous ammonia by.
1113 1140 1243 978 1323 1385 329 1400 27 510 476 1220 601 1499 1229 1348 1327 498 810 553 959 830 604 786 420 864 24 438 380 656 1630 147 1530 1 1287 632 1124 1526 1078 1050 609 1262 895 1130 1214 371 1050 227