Ammonium Perchlorate - Fuel Oxidizer

Ammonium Perchlorate (NH₄ClO₄) has become known as the world's universal oxidizer for solid fuel rockets. You Need the Chime Plug-In, Available Through the Link on the Homepage In fact, in one list of "Key" Missiles and Rocket Boosters, Ammonium Perchlorate shows up in every single engine. Ammonium Perchlorate's real history began back in the late 1940s. In 1948 Aerojet replaced Potassium Perchlorate with Ammonium Perchlorate in a move to reduce smoke and increase impulse (thrust per unit propellant burned per second) in the rocket engines. It continued to grow in use among other major companies including Thiokol and the Jet Propulsion Lab from then on.

Ammonium Perchlorate is a salt that has a molar mass of 117.4889 g/mol. It melts at 450°C, but since it becomes unstable at 65.6°C, it is not likely to ever reach such high temperatures. This odorless, white granular substance can be a health hazard for some people, and the perchlorate has caused problems in some places where it has leaked from the manufacturing plants into water supplies. Ammonium Perchlorate has a density of 1.95 g/mol, and is very soluble in water, as well as many other solvents.  This chemical is manufactured at several plants, and Thiokol has invented a recycling process, due to complaints about leaking perchlorate. Recycled Ammonium Perchlorate can be re-used in rockets, as well as explosives and perchloric acid.

By mass, Nitrogen makes up 11.91%, Hydrogen makes up 3.4%, Chlorine makes up 30.22%, and Oxygen makes up 54.47%. By number, Hydrogen and Oxygen take up 40% each, while Nitrogen and Chlorine make up 10% each. Because it is a salt Ammonium Perchlorate bonds ionically.

This site created by Jeff Jacobson.
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