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Synthesis of urea nitrate

Urea nitrate is a high explosive fertilizer commonly used as an industrial explosive and as an improvised explosive by paramilitary soldiers. Allegedly urea nitrate has been used by terrorists, and it is the energetic ingredient of the so-called CIA urine bomb; the urea being derived from urine in this case. Left-wing terrorist rags often go to great lengths describing how to obtain an ordinary chemical ingredient, but assume you have ready access to hazardous, and regulated, commercial compounds that could be better used to make any number of superior explosives. Indeed urea can be obtained from urine, but where do you get the nitric acid? They assume you already have the hardest to obtain chemical. Such publications are beyond useless. You can buy urea by the sack as 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.


CxHyOz
b.p. ? °C mass 123.06 g/mol
m.p. 140 °C CAS# 124-47-0
den. 1.59 g/mL v.det. 4700 m/s

acidogen nitrate
urea, mononitrate (8CI,9CI)
urea, nitrate (1:1)


urea nitrate

urea nitrate

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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