Ammonium nitrate is a common, cheap explosive, but the key to explosives is nitrate, not ammonia. Almost every practical high explosive is a nitrate or an organ

Ammonium nitrate is a common, cheap explosive, but the key to explosives is nitrate, not ammonia. Almost every practical high explosive is a nitrate or an organic nitro compound. Major obstacles to ammonia fuel include the smell and its corrosiveness. Only a small amount (~12%) of energy is lost converting hydrogen to ammonia, and you save energy by avoiding compression/refrigeration.