Beirut battered: On Lebanon blast

According to the government of Lebanon, the massive explosion at Beirut port that has so far killed at least 135 people, is caused by over 2,700 tones of ammonium nitrate.

About Beirut

• Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon (a country in Western Asia).
• It is the third-largest city in the Levant region and the fifteenth largest in the Arab world.
• On a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast, Beirut is an important regional seaport.
• It is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been inhabited for more than 5,000 years.
• The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 15th century BC.
• Beirut is ranked as a Beta World City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

About Lebanon

• Lebanon, officially known as the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in Western Asia.
• It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies west across the Mediterranean Sea.

Ammonium nitrate

• In its pure form, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is a white, crystalline chemical which is soluble in water. It is the main ingredient in the manufacture of commercial explosives used in mining and construction.
• In India, the Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012, under The Explosives Act, 1884.
• This act defines ammonium nitrate as the “compound with formula NH4NO3 including any mixture or compound having more than 45 per cent ammonium nitrate by weight including emulsions, suspensions, melts or gels but excluding emulsion or slurry explosives and non-explosive emulsion matrix and fertilizers from which the ammonium nitrate cannot be separated”.

Ammonium nitrate as an explosive

• Pure ammonium nitrate is not an explosive on its own.
• It is classified as an oxidiser (Grade 5.1) under the United Nations classification of dangerous goods.
• If mixed with ingredients like fuel or some other contaminants, or because of some other external factors, it can be very explosive.
• However, for combinations to explode, triggers like detonators are required.

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