Ammonium Nitrate Experiment

By Kevin Dominguez
Purpose of the Experiment
The purpose of this experiment is to observe and analyze the
chemical reaction between ammonium nitrate and water.
 Background Information
The chemical composition of ammonium nitrate is NH4NO3, which is ammonium and nitrite connected
by ionic bonds. When combined with water, the water molecules interact with the ions and breakdown
the structure of ammonium nitrate. The energy required to breakdown the structure is endothermic. The
energy needed to breakdown NH4NO3 is greater than the energy released. Energy is absorbed from the
surroundings, which is what makes it cold.
Hypothesis:
I predict that increased amounts of
ammonium nitrate mixed with 100 ml of
water will result in an increased
endothermic reaction, releasing energy
and resulting in a significant decrease in
temperature.
The Experiment
 ● Disposable Cups (5)

● Thermometer
Materials Used:
● Distilled Water (100 ml per cup )

● Kitchen Scale

● Plastic Spoon

● Ammonium Nitrate

● Notebook
Procedure
● Collect ammonium nitrate from the packs and put the
appropriate amount for each cup

● Record the initial temperature of 100 ml of distilled water

● Pour water into the cup with ammonium nitrate and begin
recording the time

● Continuously stir the water and record the temperature every

15 seconds

● Record the temperature until it stabilizes

● Repeat these steps for each cup

Hypothesis support
I think this is what’s going to happen
because…
Each cold pack comes with 100 grams of
ammonium nitrate and 100 milliliters of
water. By performing a separate
experiment on these showed me that the
final temperature for an entire cold pack is
22.7 degrees.
Variables that may affect the
outcome...
● The speed of stirring may affect the
time it takes to stabilize
● The initial temperature of the water
● The amount of water used
Data Analysis
Trial 1: Trial 2: Trial 3: Trial 4: Trial 5:
10 g NH4NO3 20 g NH4NO3 30 g NH4NO3 40 g NH4NO3 50 g NH4NO3

Initial water Note: 100 ml of

temperature 67.1℉ 68.1℉ 67.9℉ 67.4℉ 68℉ distilled water were
used per trial.
15 secs 63.1℉ 55.3℉ 52.1℉ 59.5℉ 54.8℉

30 secs 60℉ 55.1℉ 47.4℉ 48.7℉ 46.8℉

45 secs 58.3℉ 54.7℉ 44.4℉ 43.6℉ 42.8℉

60 secs 58.2℉ 53.3℉ 44.3℉ 40.6℉ 38.5℉

1 min, 15 secs 58.1℉ 52.1℉ 44.5℉ 38.7℉ 36.5℉

1 min, 30 secs 37.8℉ 33.5℉

1 min, 45 secs 37.9℉ 34.8℉

Changes in Temperature
This chart demonstrates
the difference from the
initial water temperature
and the temperature after
ammonium nitrate is
mixed. It is apparent the
greater the amount of
ammonium nitrate the
greater the difference in
temperature. Water was
maintained at a constant of
100 ml for every trial.
In Conclusion...
By knowing that commercial cold packs contain 100 ml of water and 100 g of
ammonium nitrate, I could create my own cold pack. To make the cold pack I can
manipulate the temperature by increasing or decreasing the amount of ammonium.
nitrate to meet my specific needs. Observations noted during this experiment were
the various chemical reactions between ammonium nitrate and water. As noted in
trial 1, lower levels of ammonium nitrate released less heat therefore, creating a
minimal decrease in temperature. In trial 5, I observed a significant decrease in
temperature because of the greater amount of ammonium nitrate. This confirms that
a greater endothermic reaction is produced when the amount of ammonium nitrate is
increased
Bibliography
● https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-
ideas/Chem_p081/chemistry/how-do-cold-packs-work#makeityourown
● http://sites.jmu.edu/chemdemo/2011/06/08/amonium-nitrate-reaction/
● https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-dissolution-of-NH4NO3-in-water-result-in-a-
decrease-in-the-temperature-of-the-solution
● Chemistry Notebook