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  • Essay / Fritz Haber and the invention of ammonia Fritz Haber

    In the history of chemistry, there was a chemist who left the world with an intense debate over its merits and drawbacks. This is the world-famous German physicist-chemist, inventor of ammonia Fritz Haber. People who praised Haber say he was an angel, bringing joy and harvest to humanity. The people who cursed him say he is a devil, a disaster for humanity, suffering and death. Haber was born in Silesia Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland) on December 9, 1868. His father was a competent and good Jewish businessman, and this family environment had an impact on his destiny in chemistry. Haber was very talented and mastered a lot of knowledge in chemistry from a young age. He went to study in Berlin, Heidelberg and Zurich. After graduating from the University of Jena, Haber engaged in research in organic chemistry. His article once caused a sensation in the chemical industry. When Haber was 19, he earned a doctorate in Germany at the Royal Institute of Technology and in 1896 at the University of Karlsruhe as a lecturer. In 1901, Haber married Clara Immerwahr and in 1906, Haber became a professor of physical chemistry and electrochemistry. It is capable of producing a gas mixture of ammonia, nitrogen and hydrogen compounded together under high temperature and high pressure conditions and acts as a catalyst. In the spirit of perseverance, through continuous experiments and calculations, Haber finally obtained encouraging results in 1909. When the temperature is 600 degrees Celsius, under the conditions of 200 atmospheric pressure and osmium catalyst, the yield was about 8% ammonia. A conversion rate of 8% is not considered high; this will obviously affect economic output. The ammonia production known by Haber cannot achieve a high conversion rate like sulfuric acid. Haber on the other hand...... middle of paper ......s used to make fertilizer. Many household cleaning products also contain ammonia because it gives the surface a fine, clear shine. Ammonia synthesis was used to produce explosives during World War I and later to develop the deadly poison gas. This is why there have been many skeptical controversies regarding his winning the Nobel Prizes due to the massive number of casualties due to chemical weapons. Haber's vision of ammonia was finally realized in 1913. The method of producing ammonia not only paves the way for obtaining fixed nitrogen, but also it is important to note that this production process has a significant impact on the entire development of chemical technology process. The decision to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Haber is correct despite his achievements in the production of ammonia and the impact of his research which advanced chemical theory..