Ryan is reading the ingredients list in the fertilizer he is using. Which of the following chemical compounds is he most likely to find listed as a major nutrient?

• A. CH_3COOH (acetic acid)
• B. NH_4NO_3 (ammonium nitrate)
• C. NaCl (sodium chloride)
• D. C_6H_{12}O_6 (glucose)

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the context of the problem, which is identifying a major nutrient commonly found in fertilizers. Fertilizers typically contain compounds that supply essential nutrients to plants, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
2. Step 2: Review each compound given and consider its role in plant nutrition: CH\_3COOH (acetic acid) is an organic acid, not a primary nutrient; NaCl (sodium chloride) is common salt and not a nutrient for plants; C\_6H\_{12}O\_6 (glucose) is a sugar, not a fertilizer nutrient.
3. Step 3: Focus on NH\_4NO\_3 (ammonium nitrate), which contains nitrogen in two forms: ammonium (NH\_4\^+) and nitrate (NO\_3\^-). Nitrogen is a key macronutrient essential for plant growth and is commonly supplied by fertilizers.
4. Step 4: Recognize that ammonium nitrate is widely used in fertilizers because it provides a readily available source of nitrogen, which is critical for the synthesis of proteins and other important biomolecules in plants.
5. Step 5: Conclude that among the options, NH\_4NO\_3 (ammonium nitrate) is the compound most likely listed as a major nutrient in fertilizers due to its nitrogen content.