INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA
Do you know this man?
This is Fitz Haber, a German chemist.
D.O.B- 9th December 1868
Died- 29th January 1934
He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his development for synthesizing ammonia. He has also been described as the "father of chemical warfare" for his work developing and deploying chlorine and other poisonous gases during World War I.
D.O.B- 9th December 1868
Died- 29th January 1934
He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his development for synthesizing ammonia. He has also been described as the "father of chemical warfare" for his work developing and deploying chlorine and other poisonous gases during World War I.
Haber process
The raw materials for this process are hydrogen and nitrogen. Hydrogen is obtained by reacting natural gas - methane - with steam, or through the cracking of oil. Nitrogen is obtained by burning hydrogen in air. When hydrogen is burned in air, the oxygen combines with the hydrogen, leaving nitrogen behind.
Nitrogen and hydrogen will react together under these conditions:
nitrogen + hydrogen <---> ammonia
N2(g) + 3H2(g) <-----> 2NH3(g)
The (g) indicates that the substance is a gas.
The flow chart shows the main stages in the Haber process. The reaction is reversible, and some nitrogen and hydrogen remain mixed with the ammonia. The reaction mixture is cooled so that the ammonia liquefies and can be removed. The remaining nitrogen and hydrogen are recycled.
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. It is a colourless gas with a choking smell, and a weak alkali which is very soluble in water.
USES -Ammonia is used to make fertilisers, explosives, dyes, household cleaners and nylon. It is also the most important raw material in the manufacture of nitric acid.
Nitrogen and hydrogen will react together under these conditions:
- a high temperature - about 350-400ºC
- a high pressure - about 200 atmospheres (200 times normal pressure)
- an iron catalyst
nitrogen + hydrogen <---> ammonia
N2(g) + 3H2(g) <-----> 2NH3(g)
The (g) indicates that the substance is a gas.
The flow chart shows the main stages in the Haber process. The reaction is reversible, and some nitrogen and hydrogen remain mixed with the ammonia. The reaction mixture is cooled so that the ammonia liquefies and can be removed. The remaining nitrogen and hydrogen are recycled.
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. It is a colourless gas with a choking smell, and a weak alkali which is very soluble in water.
USES -Ammonia is used to make fertilisers, explosives, dyes, household cleaners and nylon. It is also the most important raw material in the manufacture of nitric acid.