The Harbor process (or
Haber-Bosch Process) is an equilibrium process. [1] It combines nitrogen from
the air with hydrogen derived mainly from methane to produce ammonia. [2] The ammonia from this process is used
frequently in the agricultural field for its rich nitrogen.
[3] This process was
used to create ammonia during World War I. The process was designed by a
chemist named Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch who came from Germany. [5][4] The Harbor
process was used to significantly extend the time period of World War I, by
being used as a weapon for the Germans for their explosives. The Germans were
blockaded and they lost their main sources of nitrogen so Fritz and Carl Bosch designed the Harber-Bosch Process to
take nitrogen from the air.
[3] The formula for the
Harbor process is N2(g) + 3H2(g) <--> 2NH3(g) + 92 e. Because the energy
is in the product, it is exothermic. According to Le Châtelier’s Principle,
this means that the reaction must be heated to 500 C and the pressure must be
increased at 200 atm in order to receive energy on the right side.
However, to get the
pressure at such a high position, it would cost a lot of money. You have to
make extremely strong pipes and containment vessels. They are extremely
expensive to build and preserve, plus you must be careful not to over use the
pressure, or else you would have to pay more than what you make.
This process uses Catalysts
to help speed it up. The two main types used are osmium and ruthenium. They do
not affect the rate of the reaction with the equilibrium, but they do make the
reaction period shorter.
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