Beirut blast: How does ammonium nitrate create such devastating explosions? Live Science
05 August 2020
Posted on 8/5/2020 by BenLurkin
Ammonium nitrate is frequently added to increase a fertilizer's nitrogen content.
It's relatively stable under most conditions and is inexpensive to manufacture, making the chemical a popular alternative to other, more expensive nitrogen sources.
But ammonium nitrate has a potentially lethal downside: The compound is considered an oxidizer, meaning at an atomic level, it removes electrons from other substances in a chemical reaction.
What that means in a more practical sense is that it increases the burning of fuels by increasing the oxygen that's available to those fuels.
To start the reaction, ammonium nitrate must come into contact with an open flame or other ignition source.
In the Beirut incident, experts suggest fireworks were involved.
Once a reaction is sparked, ammonium nitrate explodes violently.
The explosive force occurs when solid ammonium nitrate decomposes very rapidly into two gases, nitrous oxide and water vapor.
Boaz Hayoun, founder and owner of the Tamar Group, an Israeli firm involved in safety and certification issues involving explosives, explained the telltale signs of the ignition. "Before the big explosion, you can see in the center of the fire, you can see sparks, you can hear sounds like popcorn and you can hear whistles," Hayoun told The Associated Press. "This is very specific behavior of fireworks, the visuals, the sounds and the transformation from a slow burn to a massive explosion."
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
1 posted on 8/5/2020 by BenLurkin
To: BenLurkin
Anything that starts with “ammo” could be bad.
2 posted on 8/5/2020 by SaxxonWoods (Prediction: G. Maxwell will surprise everyone by not dying anytime soon.)
Poster Comment:
Thinking
