There are two types of fertilisers: natural which is made from plant and animal waste, and artificial which is man-made. By using fertilisers, farmers are able to grow more crops on a field.
There are many useful synthetic fertilisers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. (NPK Fertilisers). Fertilisers containing nitrate ions (NO3-) not only contain an essential nutrient, but are also very soluble.
Different crops need fertilisers with different proportions of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If you go to buy a fertiliser from a shop, you often find that the fertiliser is classified according to which plant it can improve the best.
Nitrate fertilisers can be made through neutralisation reactions. To complete this, a supply of nitric acid is required. Nitric acid is then used to make ammonium nitrate which is high in nitrogen.
Examples
The following are examples of possible neutralisation reactions:
