... The Haber process The raw materials for this process are hydrogen and nitrogen. Hydrogen is obtained by reacting natural gas - methane - with steam, or through the cracking of oil. Nitrogen is obtained by burning hydrogen in air. Air is 80 per cent nitrogen; nearly all the rest is oxygen. When hydrogen is burned in air, the oxygen combines with the hydrogen, leaving nitrogen behind. Nitrogen and hydrogen will react together under these conditions: • a high temperature - about 450ºC • a high pressure - about 200 atmospheres (200 times normal pressure) • an iron catalyst The reaction is reversible. nitrogen + hydrogen ammonia N2(g) + 3H2(g) 2NH3(g) The (g) indicates that the substance is a gas. ...
