Ammonia

Reversible Reactions
• Many chemical reactions can proceed in one
direction only.
• They cannot be reversed.
• Eg: Sodium hydroxide reacts with
hydrochloric acid to produce sodium chloride
and water.
• NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) NaCl(aq) +H2O(l)
 Reversible Reactions
• However, there are some chemical reactions
that can be reversed.
• Eg: White fumes of ammonium chloride are
formed when concentrated ammonia solution
reacts with concentrated hydrochloric acid.
• NH3(g) + HCl(g)  NH4Cl(s)
• Solid ammonium chloride, in turn,
decomposes on heating to form ammonia and
hydrogen chloride gases.
• NH4Cl(s)  NH3(g) + HCl(g)
 Reversible Reactions
• This is an example of a reversible
reaction.
• A double arrow, , is used to indicate a
reversible reaction.
• The equation for the reversible reaction of
ammonia and hydrogen chloride shown be
written as:
• NH3(g) + HCl(g) NH4Cl(s)
 Reversible Reactions
Reversible Reaction
NH3(g) + HCl(g) NH4Cl(s)

Forward Reaction Reverse Reaction

NH3(g) + HCl(g)  NH4Cl(s) NH4Cl(g)  NH3(g) + HCl(g)

Reactants Product Reactant Products

 Reversible Reactions
• To avoid confusion, chemists always call
– The reaction from left to right, the forward
reaction.
– The reaction from right to left, the reverse
reaction.
– The substances on the left of the equation, the
reactants.
– The substances on the right of the equation, the
products.
 The Manufacture of Ammonia By
Haber Process
• A very important
reversible reaction is
the manufacture of
ammonia on a large
scale by the Haber
Process.
• It is invented in 1908
by Fritz Haber.
 Haber Process
• The raw materials for the manufacture of
ammonia in the Haber process are nitrogen
and hydrogen.
• Hydrogen + Nitrogen Ammonia
• 3H2(g) + N2(g) 2NH3(g)
• Nitrogen is obtained from the fractional
distillation of liquefied air and hydrogen is
obtained from the cracking of petroleum.
 Conditions of Haber Process
• Nitrogen does not react at all with hydrogen at r.t.p.
• To make nitrogen react with hydrogen, conditions of
temperature and pressure must be changed.
• The aim of any industrial process is to produce the
maximum yield of product at the minimum cost.
• Since the reaction of hydrogen and nitrogen is a
reversible reaction, the reaction conditions are very
carefully controlled.
 Conditions of Haber Process
The graph below shows the effect of pressure on the yield of
ammonia at five different temperatures.
Yield of Ammonia
 Effect of Temperature on Yield of
Ammonia
• From the graph, it is noted that the lower
the temperature, the higher the yield of
ammonia.
• However, it is not realistic to use a low
temperature of about 100oC because the
reaction would be far too slow.
• Final Compromised Temperature chosen
for the Haber Process: 450oC
 Effect of Pressure on Yield of
Ammonia
• From the graph, it is noted that the higher
the pressure, the higher the yield of
ammonia.
• However, maintaining high pressures are
costly because expensive engineering
equipments (special pumps and stronger
pipes) are required.
• Final Compromised Pressure chosen for the
Haber Process: 200 atmospheres (atm)
 Effect of catalyst on the yield of
ammonia
• Even with a high pressure (200 atm) and
relatively high temperature (450oC),
nitrogen and hydrogen still react slowly to
form ammonia.
• Thus, a catalyst is used to speed up the
reaction.
• Catalyst used: Iron
 Summary
• Best conditions for achieving the
maximum yield of ammonia in the Haber
Process:
1. Temperature of 450oC
2. Pressure of 200 atm
3. Presence of iron catalyst
Haber Process
 Use of Haber Process
• The Haber Process is the main source of
ammonia.
• Ammonia is extensively used in the
making of nitrogen fertilisers.
• Today, it is essential to manufacture
fertilisers required to grow the food
needed by the world’s increasing
population.
 Need For Nitrogen Fertilisers
• Plants need many elements for growth, in
particular, nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium.
• What is the use of nitrogen?
• To make plant proteins, which is in turn used
for the growth and repair of plant cells.
• Some nitrogen is added to the soil by natural
means (lightning and decay of dead plants
and animals).
 Need For Nitrogen Fertilisers
• Although there is a high percentage of
nitrogen (79%) in air, most plants cannot
make use of it directly as they cannot absorb
the gas from the air.
• Most compounds take in compounds of
nitrogen through their roots.
• Due to the rapid increase in population, more
food is required and natural sources of
nitrogen become inadequate.
• Thus, there is a need for nitrogen fertilisers to
be added to crops to increase the yield.
 Nitrogen Fertilisers
• Plants get their nitrogen supply by
absorbing soluble nitrogen compounds in
the form of nitrates from the soil.
• Besides soluble nitrates, ammonia and
ammonium salts can also be used as
fertilisers.
• Reason: Ammonia and ammonium ions
are oxidised by bacteria in the soil to
nitrates.
 Nitrogen Fertilisers
• Nitrogen fertilisers are compounds that contain or
produce ammonium ions or nitrate ions in the soil.
• Fertilisers tend to be acidic and change the pH of
the soil.
• Some important nitrogen fertilisers are shown in the
table below.
 Nitrogen Fertilisers
Nitrogen Formula Comment
Fertiliser
Liquid NH3 Injected into the ground using special
Ammonia equipment
Ammonium NH4NO3 Supplies ammonium and nitrate ions
nitrate
Ammonium (NH4)2SO4 Supplies ammonium ions
sulfate
Urea CO(NH2)2 Reacts with water to produce
ammonium ions
Less soluble in water than other
ammonium fertilisers
 Nitrogen Fertilisers
• Most nitrogen fertilisers are produced from
ammonia and nitric acid, starting with the Haber
Process.
• This is summarised in the flowchart below.
 Choosing a Nitrogen Fertiliser
• A farmer would definitely like to use
fertilisers as efficiently as possible within
his budget.
• Some factors that needs to be considered
when choosing a nitrogen fertiliser:
1. The percentage nitrogen content
2. How quickly it releases its nitrogen for plant
use
3. How soluble it is
4. Its cost per kg
Comparing percentage of nitrogen
(nitrogen content) in fertilisers
• Calculate the nitrogen content of
– NH3
– NH4NO3
– (NH4)2SO4
– CO(NH2)2
 Other Factors
• Nitrates are soluble, thus nitrate fertilisers provide
nitrate ions which can be easily absorbed by plants.
• The most widely used fertiliser is ammonium
nitrate.
• However, they do not last long as they are easily
washed away by heavy rain.
• Ammonium fertilisers acts slower on plants than
nitrate fertilisers as the ammonium ions must be
oxidised to nitrate ions first.
• Urea has a higher percentage of nitrogen, but it is
less soluble than any other nitrogen fertilisers.
• This means that it acts slowly on plants but is not
washed away easily.
 Effects of Alkalis on Fertilisers
• Agricultural land often becomes too acidic for
good growth of food crops.
• The acidity can be caused by acid rain or
excess use of certain fertilisers.
• Recall: What do farmers use to neutralise the
acidity of soil?
• Answer: Calcium hydroxide (slaked lime)
• Think for a moment:
• Calcium hydroxide has one undesirable effect
when added to soil containing fertilisers.
 Effects of Alkalis on Fertilisers
• What do you think is the undesirable effect?
• Calcium hydroxide can react with ammonium
salts in nitrogen fertilisers to form ammonia
gas which escapes into the atmosphere.
• Recall:
• Ammonium salt + Alkali  Salt + NH3 + H2O
• This causes the loss of nitrogen from the
fertilisers already added in the soil by
farmers.
 Pollution By Fertilisers
• When excess fertilisers are added to crops,
some of the nitrate ions get washed from
the land into nearby rivers or waterways.
• This process is called leaching.
• Two kinds of problems may arise due to the
leaching of fertilisers into our drinking water
or into rivers and lakes.
• They are water pollution and eutrophication.
• The high solubilities of nitrates increases
these problems.
 Water Pollution due to nitrates
• Water, especially drinking water, that is
polluted with nitrates can be harmful to our
health, especially babies and children.
• When large amounts of nitrates accumulate in
our body, nitrate poisoning occurs.
• Nitrates prevent haemoglobin in the blood
from transporting oxygen around the body
properly.
• Some scientists think that nitrates may be
responsible for the formation of
nitrosoamines.
• Nitrosoamines can cause cancer.
 Eutrophication
• When fertilisers get washed into the waterways, the
growth of water plants and algae increases
drastically as the nitrogen in the fertilisers helps to
promote plant growth.
• When the algae die, they are decomposed by
aerobic bacteria that use up dissolved oxygen for
decomposition.
• Oxygen supply in the water is slowly depleted.
• Fish and aquatic organisms die as a result.
• This is called eutrophication.
 Eutrophication
• Another effect of eutrophication is the decreased
amount of sunlight entering the water.
• This occurs when algae grow rapidly and cover
the surface of the water which cuts off sunlight
from the underwater plants.
• The rate of photosynthesis by these plants is
thus reduced and oxygen supply is decreased.
• When oxygen levels are low, anaerobic bacteria
begin to flourish.
 Eutrophication
• These are bacteria that do not need
oxygen for their respiration.
• They are responsible for decomposing
organic matter in the water to form
products that give water a bad smell.