Oppau explosion

The largest catastrophe in the history of the chemical industry took place in September, 1921, at Oppau, where a partial detonation of about 4000 tons of a double salt, composed of more or less equal amounts of ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulphate occurred. The cause of this explosion has never been fully explained. Most likely it was brought about by attempts to break up the agglomerated double salt by means of an explosive. Approximately 1000 men were killed in the Oppau explosion. 

Karl Bosch (1874-1940) and Alwin Mittasch (1869-1953) of Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik eliminated the nitrate shortage that occurred after the British sea blockade effectively cut off the nitrate supply from Chile. By May of 1915, they had successfully developed at their Oppau Plant an industrial-scale process for oxidizing ammonia. Their process converted the large quantities of synthetic ammonia produced by the Haber process to nitric acid and other nitrates that were essential for fertilizers and explosives. (10)... 

An Oppau, Germany nitrate plant exploded killing over 600 people. This was probably the worst ever chemical explosion up to 1984. 

Until the time of the Oppau disaster (1921), AN was not considered to be an explosive. This disaster called for more extensive research into its properties, and numerous works were published as a result of such investigations (Refs 15a 15b). However, the findings of the various investigators were somewhat at variance. While some claimed that AN itself cannot be detonared unless it. is strongly confined and a very... 

The sensitivity of AN to initiation by heat may be increased or decreased by the presence of certain inorganic impurities. For instance, small amts of Cu increase sensitivity to heat because of the formation of a small amt of copper nitrite, which causes instability (Ref 90). The formation of Cu nitrite also was reported in Mellor, v 7 (Ref 16). Mellor also reports that the presence of Fe, Al or especially Zn in powdered form lowers the temperature required for the decompn of AN. Kast (Ref 31) reported that the presence of KMn04 in powdered form may cause the spontaneous heating of AN. Investigations conducted at Pic Arsn showed that different Cr compds such as the oxide and nitrate catalyze the decompn of AN, and in some cases explosions occurred at temps as low as 200°. Among the inorganic substances which lessen the sensitivity of AN to heat are clay, kiesel-guhr, powdered limestone etc. The same effect was expected of Amm sulfate until the disaster at Oppau in 1921 (Refs 15a 15b) rendered the safety of such a mixt uncertain. Amm sulfate had been used for many years as a desensitizer for AN in fertilizers and it was considered that such mixts could not be... 

Explosion of ammonium—sulfate nitrate double salt fertilizer at Oppau... 

A disastrous accident occurred at a BASF s plant in Oppau, Germany, with two explosions at 7 29 and 7 31 a.m. on September 21, 1921, resulting in a casualty list of 509 dead, 160 missing, and 1,952 injured. 

G.Rotter,"Reports on Experiments to Determine Whether Ammonium Sulphate-Nitrate as Prepared at Oppau Possesses Explosive Properties", Trans. Faraday Soc., 20, 61 (1924)... 

That autumn, in September, an event occurred that shocked chemical workers. At the basf works in Oppau two huge explosions, caused by blasting a caked mixture of ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate, killed several hundred workers, wounded more than 2,000 and made thousands homeless. Just before the explosion at Oppau the newspaper Proletarier had reported on a rise in accidents in the industry. Workers were inhaling poisonous gases. They wounded their eyes or burnt themselves with acids, water or steam. And then there were harmful substances seeping into their bodies... 

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