Recently, the nation witnessed two major blasts: the first at the Red Fort complex in Delhi on November 10, and the second at the Nowgam police station in Srinagar on the night of November 14. However, there was no car bomb or terrorist attack the second time; a large amount of explosives recovered by the investigating agency was stored in the Nowgam police station, which exploded during the examination. Experts initially concluded that the explosives behind the two incidents were primarily made from ammonium nitrate, combined with fuel oil and detonators. The possibility of other powerful explosives such as PETN, SEMTEX, and RDX was feared, but it was later revealed that their quantity was small.

Blast effect

It is a white crystalline powder substance, which is commonly used widely as a nitrogen-rich fertilizer to increase crop yields. The country has just witnessed how dangerous the use of this seemingly harmless chemical can be.

A powerful shock wave is generated during the explosion, which causes the surrounding area to shake and the explosion to spread. That’s why it is widely used in the mining and construction industries.

This chemical, comprised of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) ions, is a powerful oxidizer. Simply said, it provides enough oxygen for the reaction; nevertheless, other ingredients are necessary to initiate ignition! In chemistry, ammonium nitrate is stable and safer than other explosives when kept under controlled conditions; however, when exposed to intense heat or stirring, the gas released from it will ignite an explosion if there is a liquid organic compound or a readily available incendiary substance such as a detonator.