Essay on The Haber Bosh Process and the Importance of...

Introduction Chemical processes are important in sustaining human, plant and animal life. They produce, refine and separate substances making them useful for industrial and practical purposes. One such important chemical process is the method of producing synthetic ammonia through the Haber-Bosch process. Why produce ammonia? In this paper, I will discuss the Haber-bosh process and the importance of making ammonia. The Haber-Bosch process is a very essential method in present society as it allows nitrogen to be converted into other compounds, many of them useful in everyday life. One of the main uses for ammonia is for the production of fertilizers. Background Nitrogen is a critical limiting mineral nutrient in plant growth. Carbon and†¦show more content†¦The Haber process is important today because the fertilizer made from ammonia is responsible for sustaining one-third of the Earths population. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to fertilizers. Approximately 83% of industrially produced ammonia is used to make fertilizers. The reaction is a reversible reaction and requires optimal conditions that favor the forward reaction. This process is a good example of the Le Chatliers principle. Optimum conditions include a temperature of 400 °C -500 °C, a pressure of 100-350 atmospheres (the favored pressure is around 250 atm), a catalyst of iron mixed with oxides of other metals, adequate amounts of nitrogen and hydrogen, and the removal of ammonia as it is formed. This process yields 40%-60% of ammonia. Increasing the temperature, will increase the rate of t he forward and reverse reactions and ensure the system gets to equilibrium quickly. The forward reaction is exothermic. Increasing temperature will cause the reaction to shift toward the reactants and decreases the yield. If the reaction were carried out at a low temperature to maximize the yield, the molecules would not have sufficient energy to react. Haber was able to overcome the temperature issue by developing a suitable catalyst for the reaction. The catalyst lowered the activation energy for the reaction and helped in by increasing the rate and the yield. Pressure is another factor