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Beirut Explosion

As ammonium nitrate is a salt, both the cation, NH4+, and the anion, NO3-, can take part in a chemical reaction.

Solid ammonium nitrate decomposes on heating. At temperatures below around 300 C the decomposition is mainly to nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and water. Though this was far from funny

NH4NO3 → N2O + 2H2O

At higher temperatures, the following reaction predominates.

2NH4NO3 → 2N2 + O2 + 4H2O

Both decomposition reactions are exothermic. Consequently, when the mass of ammonium nitrate is greater than the critical mass the decomposition is explosive. Many NH4NO3 explosions with loss of lives, have occurred. The brown color in an explosion cloud is due to nitrogen dioxide, a secondary reaction product.
Careful there boss.....I'm starting to have flashbacks to OChem and my richardhead professor 😬
 
Oh yeah...that’ll help.
Aid pledges are at $350M so far, but as always, who gets the money...
Not just who gets the money, but what's done with the money. Does no good to rebuild if the same problems and same people remain.
 
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