At least it's not butanoic acid... Uhhh... I recently had a nasty run in with that!
The Haber process is a reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen gasses, to produce ammonia. Before the advent of the Haber process, ammonia was difficult to produce on an industrial scale, though used in fertilisers and munitions. (YAY for feeding people, then shooting them...) Despite the heavy content of nitrogen in the air, it is a not very reactive gas, due to the strong triple bonds that hold the molecules together.
The process was developed in 1909, by a German scientist, called Fritz Haber. (Hasn't he some awesome spectacles?)
The Haber process is a reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen gasses, to produce ammonia. Before the advent of the Haber process, ammonia was difficult to produce on an industrial scale, though used in fertilisers and munitions. (YAY for feeding people, then shooting them...) Despite the heavy content of nitrogen in the air, it is a not very reactive gas, due to the strong triple bonds that hold the molecules together.
The process was developed in 1909, by a German scientist, called Fritz Haber. (Hasn't he some awesome spectacles?)
The equation:
N2 (g) + 3 H2 (g) <-> 2 NH3 (g)
(To my frustration, Blogger won't let me use an equilibrium sign.)
The gasses, a are passed over an iron catalyst and are heated to about 300 degrees centigrade with typically only a 15% conversion rate. This is repeated several times (recycled) so that an overall conversion of 98% can be achieved. The equation is an equilibrium reaction, so ammonia is at the same time converted back to nitrogen and hydrogen. Because of this, the process takes place under certain conditions to ensure the maximum of the desired product. I would explain more, but it would take a long time, and I'd probably bore you.
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