Is NH4NO3 used to make a cold pack or a hot pack? thanks:)!?

Question

Is NH4NO3 used to make a cold pack or a hot pack? thanks:)!?

Answer 1

Cold pack.  It's an endothermic reaction when mixed with water.

These reactions are really neat.  I want to find a bag of calcium chloride to take along camping so I can use it to ice some beers for my friend.  Mix a high concentration with water and it gets really cold.  I could kick myself for not picking up a bag this past winter, because it's sold as ice melter.  You can't find cheap bags of it in the summer, although it is sold with a plastic bucket as a dehumidifier.  Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is the ingredient in the cold packs used for icing sports injuries.  There's a sealed bag of water inside that you pop to mix with the salt to get it cold.

Answer 2

Yes, NH4NO3 is used in commercial cold packs.