Abstract: A fire extinguishing composition is disclosed comprising three essential ingredients that reinforce cooperatively the action of each ingredient when applied to an object on fire, (A) an ionic complex containing in an anionic portion thereof complexed nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, and aluminum, (B) a boric acid compound such as orthoboric acid, metaboric acid, or boric anhydride, and (C) urea. Flammable objects, particularly objects made of cellulose, are reduced in flammability by being pretreated with the composition disclosed. A new process for preparing the ionic complex ingredient of the fire extinguishing composition is also disclosed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of forming a urea adduct complex by reacting an aluminum hydrogen phosphate complex which is normally unstable in solution at a pH greater than 2.5 with sufficient urea that no precipitation of alumina occurs on addition of ammonia, and adjusting the pH of the resultant urea adduct complex with ammonia to a value of from 2.5 to 10. The urea adduct complexes of the invention are fire retardants and fire quenching agents and are useful as agricultural adjuvants.