Thread: How do you mix chemicals?

How exactly would you combine Hydrogen and Nitrogen to make Ammonia? Would you just mix a vile of Hydrogen and Nitrogen together and that's it?

In order for the H₂ and N₂ to form new bonds, their current bonds must be broken. This requires a specific amount of energy, a lot in the case of N₂ because it contains a triple bond. Then the atoms are free to react. For the specific case of ammonia production, check out the Haber process on Wikipedia or elsewhere. In general reactions have a certain activation energy that the reactants must reach in order to react. In some cases a reaction is only feasible if a catalyst is used, which is a substance not used up in the reaction that lowers the activation energy needed.

AS for, How do you mix chemicals ? VERY CAREFULLY!

Ammonia is the most-produced chemical in the world, and it's relatively expensive to make because the nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond is so hard to break. There's a LOT of intense work being done around the world in university and corporate labs by people trying to make a catalyst that would allow the reaction to happen at lower temperatures and pressure. Anyone who figures out a way to make such a catalyst is going to be very, very rich...

I believe ammonia is not the most produced chemical in the world. Sulfuric acid is on top of the list.

The process is not that much expensive because:
1 - Industrial competition
2 - Massive production
3 - Industries use recycling and heat transfer to optimize the process.
4 - N2 is easily obtained from air

You must think outside the box. Industrial chemistry is not like academic chemistry (in labs).

Originally Posted by andrefonsecaa

I believe ammonia is not the most produced chemical in the world. Sulfuric acid is on top of the list.

Yeah, it depends on how you measure "amount produced". Sulfuric acid is the most-produced in terms of weight, ammonia is the most-produced in terms of number of molecules created (since you have to make six ammonia molecules to equal the mass of one sulfuric acid molecule).