[mikecyr]

As a fertilizer and oxidizer, most of know how commonly used ammonium nitrate is. What I am wondering and would like enlightenment on from any chemistry experts is, would it be possible to utilize ammonium nitrate as a fuel additive? My thought is to start with a small amount dissolved in alcohol, filtered to remove particulates, then added to gasoline fuel. In my mind, adding an oxidizer to a fuel mixture in an amount small enough to accelerate the burn time slightly would improve power and economy. Anyone have any thoughts to offer?

[DrBob1]

Mike: I don't like to be a wet blanket, but I think your idea has some potentially severe problems. Ammonium nitrate is soluble in alcohol, but it would be driven out of solution when added to gasoline. There goes your fuel filter! I'm not an automotive engineer, but I know that great amounts of research have been done in the fuel industry to SLOW the burning of fuel in an engine. Dyes, tetraethyl lead, isooctane etc have been developed to prevent detonation of the air/fuel mixture and its associated engine knock. If you want knock, I would think an overbased ANFO explosive would be a good place to start.
Gasoline soluble oxidizing agents - peroxides, etc - are well known in industry; these could initiate combustion, but I wouuld worry that they would increase the free radical component of the combustion and would be knocking, rather than anti-knock, agents.
Good luck with your idea. Be aware that you are building on a well developed foundation of fuel composition, additives, engine design, spark timing, etc, etc, etc, But follow your dreams - you could develop a hugely successful product and control an industry. That's America and the Free Market system. It can (and does) happen!

[mikecyr]

My plan for experimentation would have caught this before ever getting to the point of adding it to a fuel tank for any vehicle, but coming out of solution was something I had considered, Thanks!