For many years already, ammonium nitrate has been recognized as a chemical compound which is very effective and useful in agriculture when it comes to fertilization. As with most other products, there are some pros and cons to consider for ammonium nitrate fertilizer as well.

How effective is an Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer?

Ammonium nitrate fertilizer has already been used in the agriculture business all over the world. A very good reason why it is used by many farmers is the cost efficiency of this product. It is definitely cheaper than most fertilizers in the market.

Ammonium nitrate fertilizer has been used in agriculture for a long time now.

But the question still remains: is ammonium nitrate fertilizer really effective? The answer is yes. Let’s do a little brainstorming and analyze the facts. Plants need nutrients for it to grow. A very fundamental nutrient needed by a plant for its growth is nitrogen. Nitrogen is a substance that is found in chlorophyll which is responsible for photosynthesis. This means that nitrogen can help the plant make food for itself by getting energy from the sunlight. Nitrogen can make leafy vegetables appear much greener and they can increase the plant’s ability to produce fruit. An increase in fruit production can mean more sales and profit by the farmer.

Why use ammonium nitrate fertilizer?

Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer is used by a lot of farmers because of its nitrogen content. But the most important thing to consider about the correlation between plants and nitrogen is the absorption. Although nitrogen is naturally found in the soil and the earth’s atmosphere, the form at which nitrogen is absorbed by the plant is very specific. An ammonium nitrate fertilizer can definitely deliver in this area. Even if bacteria like Rhizobia can convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a form that is usable by plants, it may not be sufficient to enrich a nitrogen- deficient piece of land. Ammonium Nitrate has a chemical formula NH4NO3. The forms that which plant can absorb nitrogen are NO3 and NH4. This means that this compound is easily absorbed by the plant. External factors will not be needed to convert the nitrogen to something the plant can take since it is readily absorbable. Another benefit of using ammonium nitrate fertilizer is the fact that it is a water soluble compound. This will hasten the absorption process and the roots can easily take in nitrogen without any problems.

Advantages of ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer?

Fertilizers are essential in the agricultural business since farmers want to make sure that the production levels are high but the quality needs to be in the highest levels too. Fertilizers keep not only the plants but also the soil healthy. Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer can be sued at any time of the year. There are some fertilizers that would require a certain season where you can use it but ammonium nitrate gives the farmer the liberty of usage throughout the year. Farmers can also liberally use the product since alterations on the soil’s PH is minimal. During seasons like summer, it is very applicable to use since it evaporates much slowly than other types. Storage of this fertilizer is also easy. If you have a dry, covered, cool and well-ventilated area, you can store ammonium nitrates there. Before buying ammonium nitrate fertilizer for your farm in large quantities, make sure you know and understand the laws and regulations governing the sales of this kind of fertilizer in your area.

The steps on how to make ammonium nitrate are actually pretty simple. In chemistry terms, this process simply involves mixing two substances together. In this case, these two substances are ammonia and nitric acid. There are actually a lot of gardening stores that offer ammonium nitrate. If you look it up online, a lot of companies also offer ammonium nitrates at a very competitive price. This is because ammonium nitrates are widely used as fertilizers because of its nitrogen content. Nitrogen helps in the plant’s photosynthesis and it aids in the plant’s growth as well. But since ammonium nitrate is also a component in explosives, it has been regulated by the government in some specific states in the country. Before knowing the steps on how to make ammonium nitrate at home, you need to know what actually happens when you combine ammonia and nitric acid together.

Mixing chemicals in order to make ammonium nitrate.

Ammonium nitrate reaction

The reaction that takes place during the combination is actually a simple double replacement type of reaction. The ammonium ion which is NH4 eventually replaces the hydrogen ion of the nitric acid. The NH4 then bonds with NO3 to form ammonium hydroxide. The excess ions which are OH and an extra hydrogen ion will form water which is H20. This will produce a lesser concentrated ammonium nitrate but evaporation can be done to increase the concentration of the ammonium nitrate. Before doing the experiment, it is important to gather all materials first. You will be needing ammonium hydroxide, nitric acid, water and some litmus paper. The litmus paper will be used to determine the acidity or alkalinity of the solution. Now these are the steps on how to make ammonium nitrate.

Mixing water and nitric acid

In a flask, you need to combine an equal amount of water with concentrated nitric acid. 100 ml will be enough. In chemistry, there is a rule that when mixing chemicals, acids should always be added to water. This process is very important since doing the opposite can alter the results. If you add water to the acid, the acid will splash all over the place and you might end up getting hurt. Once you have combined water and nitric acid, slowly add ammonium hydroxide while constantly stirring the entire mixture. This procedure may release heat. So adding ammonium hydroxide in small amounts will help cool the process. Putting the beaker on an ice bath can also help reduce the temperature. If the mixture gets too hot, it may boil and may splatter. Drop a litmus paper and check if the solution has turned alkaline. Once the litmus paper turns blue and the temperature is at its optimum, you can now gently heat the mixture until a crust is formed. The crystal product is actually ammonium nitrate. When water is present, simply let it evaporate by heating gently. Now that you know how to make ammonium nitrate, you can use the product in your garden as fertilizer. When teaching friends on how to make ammonium nitrate, it is important to inform them of the important precautions that they need to remember.