urea nitrate| melting point ? °C |
boiling point ? °C |
urea nitrate | molecular mass ? g/mol |
density ? g/mL |
| table key | sensitivity ? |
chemical formula X2Y3Z4 |
explosive velocity ? m/s |
estimated cost $?.00 /g |
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Urea nitrate is a high explosive fertilizer commonly used in industrial, and improvised, explosive applications. It is apparently the choice of terrorists, and is the prime ingredient of the alleged CIA urine bomb (the urea nitrate being derived from urine in this case). Indeed urea can be obtained from urine, but where do you get the nitric acid? They omit that part. You can buy urea by the sack for fertilizer. Urea nitrate is not a very powerful explosive, but it is cheap and plentiful, rather like ammonium nitrate. Urea nitrate has been used to lower explosion temperatures, to stabilize smokeless powder, and to make safety blasting explosives, especially for mining.
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Urea nitrate is quite easily prepared by reacting nitric acid with an equimolar portion of urea. The strength of the acid does not matter as long as there is enough of it; usually dilute acid is used. The acid is added, with stirring, to a highly concentrated solution of urea dissolved in the minimum volume of hot water. The reaction will generate a good deal of heat, so the acid addition should be rather slow, or the reaction beaker can be cooled in an ice bath. A slight excess of nitric acid is recommended. The resulting solution is cooled in the freezer to precipitate the urea nitrate. Filter to collect the crystals and dry them at a low heat in an oven. Urea nitrate tends to decompose if it is stored moist.
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