Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Haber Process


the industrial process for the production of ammonia (NH3) by the direct combination of nitrogen and hydrogen in the presence of an iron CATALYST. The process gives a maximum yield (4o per cent) using relatively low temperatures and high pressures. The Haber process is important in industrial chemistry since it is the most economic way to produce ammonia, from which fertilizers are made.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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The Haber process, also called the Haber–Bosch process, is the nitrogen fixation reaction of nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas, over an enriched iron catalyst, to produce ammonia. The Haber process is important because ammonia is difficult to produce on an industrial scale, and the fertilizer generated from the ammonia is responsible for sustaining one-third of the Earth's population. Despite the fact that 78.1% of the air we breathe is nitrogen, the gas is relatively unreactive because nitrogen molecules are held together by strong triple bonds. It was not until the early 20th century that this method was developed to harness the atmospheric abundance of nitrogen to create ammonia, which can then be oxidized to make the nitrates and nitrites essential for the production of nitrate fertilizer and munitions.

Taken from Wikipedia

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