What is Haber process?
The '''Haber process''' or the '''Haber-Bosch process''' is a chemical reaction that uses [[nitrogen]] gas and [[hydrogen]] gas to create the [[chemical compound]] [[ammonia]]. The Haber process uses temperatures ranging from 400°C to 450°C under a pressure of 200 [[atmosphere#Pressure|atm]].<ref>{{citation|author=Jim Clark|title=The Haber Process for the manufacture of ammonia|url=http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/equilibria/haber.html|date=2002|accessdate=March 14, 2010}}</ref> The Haber process uses a [[catalyst]] mostly made up of [[iron]]. ==History== The Haber process is named after the German scientist [[:en:Fritz_Haber|Fritz Haber]]. Haber was the first person to successfully complete the process. In 1909, Haber's process could produce about one cup of ammonia every two hours. [[Carl Bosch]] helped to develop the Haber process for industry. In 1913, the German company [[BASF]] started using the Haber process to make ammonia. During [[World War I]], the Haber process was used to make explosives. The Germans kept this a secret until after the war. In 1918, Haber won the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]], and in 1931, Bosch also shared a [[Nobel Prize]]. The Haber process is still important today because it produces ammonia, which is needed for [[fertilizer]] and for many other purposes. The Haber process produces about 500 million tons (453 billion kilograms) of fertilizer every year. This fertilizer helps to feed about 40% of the world's population.<ref>{{citation|title=What is the Haber-Bosch Process?|url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-haber-bosch-process.htm|publisher=Wisegeek.com|accessdate=March 14, 2010}}</ref> == Process == The gases for the Haber process must be prepared before changing them into ammonia. After that is done, ammonia is created by using [[magnetite]] (iron oxide) as the catalyst: :N<sub>2</sub> + 3H<sub>2</sub> {{eqm}} 2NH<sub>3</sub> In this process, only about 15% of the nitrogen and hydrogen is changed into ammonia. However, the unused nitrogen and hydrogen is recycled. O