The Haber Process
Making ammonia
- Ammonia is an important industrial product used to make fertilisers, explosives and dyes. It is manufactured using the Haber process.
- This involves a reversible reaction between nitrogen and hydrogen:
- N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g)
- The reaction can reach a dynamic equilibrium.
In the Haber process:
- nitrogen (extracted from the air) and hydrogen (obtained from natural gas) are pumped through pipes
- the pressure of the mixture of gases is increased to 200 atmospheres
- the pressurised gases are heated to 450°C and passed through a tank containing an iron catalyst
- the reaction mixture is cooled so that ammonia liquefies and can be removed
- unreacted nitrogen and hydrogen are recycled