Project Experience: Mislabeled Chemical

The purpose of the analysis was to determine the identification of the individual components from a potentially mislabeled product. The sample was labeled as ammonium nitrate. The sample was analyzed by EMSL using various analytical techniques. Our analysis concluded the material was crystalline in nature and showed the material contained zinc (Zn), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N). We also showed a match to zinc nitrate (library search and match). In conclusion, the sample was mislabeled as ammonium nitrate and found to be zinc nitrate after laboratory analysis. The ability to use various microscopy instruments proved invaluable regarding the identification of an unknown chemical.