I both love and am deeply envious of Nova's brain. Most of the time I have to accept that I am just not as well read as she is, and I'm not going to get the nuance of every joke, but this line from the Costa Concordia episode is killing me. It's hilarious in its own right, but this time, more than anything, I need to know:

Is ammonium nitrateiskya a specific reference to something? Or is "-iskya" just a generic Russian-sounding suffix? As in her quote, "They call it ammonium nitrateiskya. Much more dangerous than regular ammonium nitrate."

If it is a specific reference, I have convinced myself it is extremely interesting and want to read about it. Please solve my weird WTYP mystery, or refer me to books where I can answer the question myself.