Anyone Got Any Info On The Significance Of The Haber Process? (1 Viewer)

hipsta_jess

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wasnt that something about coz if it they could create ammonia, which could be then used to make bombs and stuff (ie, v. important for germany in WW2)
dont quote me though, its quite possible im wrong ;)
 

Zarathustra

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Wasn't it during WWI that without the Haber process there wouldn't have be enough food (i guess due to lack of fertiliser) and the Haber process stopped the Germans from starving and hence helped the war effort that way:confused:

EDIT: I found some good info - I'll type it up for study.

In WW1 Germany's supply of nitrogen products to make explosives and as fertiliser for agriculture was low. This was because importation of nitrogen products from overseas was difficult due to the maritime blockade imposed by the Allies. It became necessary for Germany to be able to make ammonia from simple and available elements.
 
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mojako

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Read your textbook please.. it should have quite a good explanation there.
In short, you should say that it enables us to efficiently & economically produce ammonia, then you should say why? For example, it adopts a temperature which is a compromise between high equilibrium yield and high reaction rate (you can't have both in the ammonium production reaction) and provides a method of re-using the unreacted reactants (remember, since it's a compromise, a significant amount of the reactants that go out of the reacting chamber has not all reacted to form the intended product). I think the choice of the catalyst is part of the Haber process as well, but I'm not sure.
Then you might want to explain why the Haber process has enabled large-scale production of ammonia, which in turn is used for fertilisers, bombs, etc. Before, they used other substance for fertilisers and bombs and that substance started to run out as it was used extensively... I can't remember what that is, although it's in my Conquering Chemistry textbook and it has chosen itself to go to a hiding place tonight (well I left it at school).
 

cko

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the haber project was important historically coz it may have had a hand in lengthening the time of WWI because it gave the germans more ammonia to make explosives. economically, he haber process meant that u cud now get ammonia without having to rely on guano deposits in chile (and the like), this meant that germany and other countries cud now grow better crops with higher yields by using mo fertiliser, wch meant that population cud increase and blah blah u no tha drill. Well these two are the main points but obviously there aremo that u can have
 

jaspreet

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Thanks guys. So I basically got:

* Required to meet the demands of the increasing population during the war in terms of satisfaction of hunger
* Needed for explosives for Germany to stand a chance in the war and to prolong the outcome of the war
* Important as an economical and efficient way to synthesise ammonia and reduce dependence on finite supplies of ammonia from nitrogenous deposits along the coast of Chile. Especially difficult for Germany to attain supplies during war due to maritime blockade by allied forces.

Should be right, shouldn't it? Anything that I missed? Thanks heaps for your help :)
 
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CM_Tutor

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Note: The Chilean saltpetre (used for fertiliser) was not converted to ammonia, it was used as a nitrogenous fertliser pretty much 'as is'.

Also, the Haber Process is one of the most important industrial processes in the world today - ammonia is comfortably in the top five produced chemicals, with enormous annual production - for example, in 1987, the US alone produced 14.66 * 10<sup>9</sup> kg of ammonia.

PS: By modern standards, the Haber process uses brutal conditions, and better ways to make ammonia are being activley sought. Anyone who can come up with a new way to make ammonia, under less extreme conditions, and from as cheap starting materials, can expect a Nobel Prize. :)
 

capsicum

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i dont know if this will help, but this is all i know about the Haber process - ammonium sulfate (the main constituent in fertilisers) was brought about by it. It was a synthesis reaction wasn't it? Synthesis of ammonium sulfate from ammonia and sulfuric acid?? Hope that helps at least a little!! =)
 

CM_Tutor

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Originally posted by capsicum
It was a synthesis reaction wasn't it? Synthesis of ammonium sulfate from ammonia and sulfuric acid?? Hope that helps at least a little!! =)
No - Haber Process is synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen.

However, a variety of useful products can be made from the ammonia, including ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, nitric acid, ...
 

TheKing

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nitrogen and hydrogen from air heated at highish pressures with a catalyst possibly iron.
then NH3 is remove by liquifaction? not sure if thats the right term
 

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