Ammonia (NH3)

• Most Important Nitrogenous material

• Formula : NH3
• Mol wt : 17.0
• Melting Point : -77.7OC
• Boiling Point : -33.4Oc
• Solubility : very soluble in water
 Grades

• Liquefied NH3
• Aqueous NH3 (28wt %NH3)
 USES OF AMMONIA
• It is used directly as a fertilizer
• Used for manufacture of Nitric acid which is further used to
manufacture ammonium nitrate, aniline, nitrobenzene, TNT
• Used for manufacture of urea, ammonium phosphate,
ammonium sulphate
• Manufacture of polymers like polyamides, poly acrylonitrile,
poly urethane
• Used as a refrigerant in industrial refrigerator systems
• Used in rubber industry for stabilization of natural & synthetic
latex to prevent coagulation.
• Manufacture of hydrazine, amines ,amides.
 Manufacture of Ammonia
Raw Materials
• N2
– Air
– Air liquefaction process
• H2
– Steam reforming of natural gas, naphtha
– Electrolysis of water
 Reaction Involved
• N2 +3H2 2NH3 ∆H298 = -91.96 KJ/mol

• Rxn is reversible
• Exothermic
• There is decrease in volume(4moles to give 2 moles)
 Favorable conditions
• Temperature
– Low temperature but rate of Rxn also decreases so
usually 400-450oC is used
• Pressure
– High pressure favours the Rxn
Usually 200-300 atm pressure is used
(Very high pressures are very expensive)
• Catalyst
– Iron oxide promoted by alkali or non ferrous metal
oxide such as K2O and Al2O3
 SYNTHETIC PROCESSES FOR MANUFACTURING NH3

S. No. Pressure Process Temperature Catalyst %

( oC)
(atm) Conversion

1 120-160 Mont-Cenis 400-425 Iron 9-20

cyanide
2 150 American 500 Promoted 14
Iron
3 200-300 Fauser-Monte 500 ,, 12-22
Catine

4 600+ Casele 500 ,, 15-25

5 900± Claude 500-600 ,, 40-85
6 900 Du pont 500 ,, 10-85
NH3 SYNTHESIS PROCESS (HABER PROCESS)

Nitrogen
(Air)
N2:H2 400-450°C
1:3 200 atm
Iron Catalyst

Hydrogen Unsaturated
(Natural gas) Gas
recycle Gasses cooled
&NH3 is
liquefied

Liquid
ammonia
 Flowsheet of Ammonia manufacture

[]
Reactor
Oil
500oC- 600oC
filter
200 atm
convertor
1mol N2
3mol H2
Cold gas
Purge to prevent Cooling water
accumulation Recycle gas

Centrifugal
recirculator

gas separator
NH3
refrigerant Spherical
liquid NH3
-15oC tank