Editing Ammonium nitrate (section)

==Disasters==
{{main|List of ammonium nitrate disasters}}
Ammonium nitrate decomposes, non-explosively, into the [[gas]]es [[nitrous oxide]] and [[water vapor]] when heated. However, it can be induced to decompose explosively by [[detonation]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chaturvedi |first1=Shalini |last2=Dave |first2=Pragnesh N. |title=Review on Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Nitrate |journal=Journal of Energetic Materials |date=January 2013 |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=1–26 |doi=10.1080/07370652.2011.573523|bibcode=2013JEnM...31....1C |s2cid=94427830 }}</ref> Large stockpiles of the material can also be a major fire risk due to their supporting [[oxidation]], a situation which can easily escalate to detonation. Explosions are not uncommon: relatively minor incidents occur most years, and several large and devastating explosions have also occurred. Examples include the [[Oppau explosion]] of 1921 (one of the [[largest artificial non-nuclear explosions]]), the [[Texas City disaster]] of 1947, the [[2015 Tianjin explosions]] in China, and the [[2020 Beirut explosion]].<ref>{{cite news|date=4 August 2020|title=Lebanon's president calls for two-week state of emergency in Beirut after blast|language=en|work=Reuters|location=Beirut|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-security-blast-president-idUSKCN2502TZ|access-date=4 August 2020|quote=Aoun, in remarks published on the Presidency Twitter account, said it was "unacceptable" that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored in a warehouse for six years without safety measures and vowed that those responsible would face the "harshest punishments".}}</ref>

Ammonium nitrate can explode through two mechanisms:
* Shock induced detonation. An explosive charge within or in contact with a mass of ammonium nitrate causes the ammonium nitrate to detonate. Examples of such disasters are [[Ammonium nitrate disasters#Kriewald, Germany, 1921|Kriewald]], [[Ammonium nitrate disasters#Morgan, New Jersey, 1918 (Now Sayreville)|Morgan]] (present-day [[Sayreville, New Jersey]]), [[Oppau explosion|Oppau]], and [[Tessenderlo]].
* [[Deflagration to detonation transition]]. The ammonium nitrate explosion results from a fire that spreads into the ammonium nitrate ([[Texas City Disaster|Texas City, TX]]; [[Brest, France|Brest]]; [[West Fertilizer Company Explosion|West, TX]]; [[2015 Tianjin explosions|Tianjin]]; [[2020 Beirut explosions|Beirut]]), or from ammonium nitrate mixing with a combustible material during the fire ([[Gibbstown, New Jersey|Gibbstown]], Cherokee, [[Nadadores]]). The fire must be confined at least to a degree for successful transition from a fire to an explosion.