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The name of the chemical I was assigned to research is ammonium nitrate, a chemical of many uses. Its chemical formula is NH4NO3 that exists as colorless, rhombohedral crystals at room temperature but changes to monoclinic crystals when heated above 32°C. It is extremely soluble in water and soluble in alcohol and liquid ammonia. . Its main uses are as an explosive and is used in chemical fertilizers, but is also known to be used as a rocket propellant. Ammonium Nittrate was first discovered in 1659, with is true abilities as an explosive not being recognized until the end of WWI, with the person discovering the synthesis process, Fritz Haber, winning the 1918 nobel prize. It was used throughout the war to supply Germany with explosives. In 1931, a chemist by the name of Carl Bosch discovered a way to industrialize it, in a process combining hydrogen and nitrogen under extreme high pressure to form ammonia.
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