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4NH3 + 5O2 ---> 4NO + 6H20
2NO + O2 ----> 2NO2
3NO2 + H2O ----> 2HNO3 +NO
Without the Ostwald Process, Germany would not have stayed in World War I as long as it did. The process was necessary to make explosives for the war (Nitric Acid, 2015). Also, the agricultural industry would not be as successful as it is today because Nitric acid plays a huge role in fertlizers (Fertilizers, 2014).
This process is an exothermic reaction.
Fertilizers. (2014). Retrieved November 11, 2015, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/chemistry/plasticsandothermaterials/fertilisers/revision/7/
Nitric Acid. (2015). Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/nitric_acid#section=Top
Nitric Acid. (2015). Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/chemicals/nitric-acid.html
Production of Nitric Acid. (2012). Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.tsfx.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ESS-2012-student-notes-y12-chemistry-NITRIC-FINAL.pdf
Wilhelm Ostwald - Biographical. (2014). Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1909/ostwald-bio.html
Nitric Acid is corrosive and can cause severe burns (Nitric Acid, 2015). It is a poisionous liquid and needs to be handled with care. Generating the high pressures and high temperatures necessary for the reaction can be expensive (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012).
The temperature at which this reaction is typically carried out is anywhere between 820-900 C (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). This is the temperature for the first part of the reaction during the oxidation of NH3 to NO (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). The Nitrogen Monoxide is then cooled to 30 C during the oxidation of NO to NO2 (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). The pressure at which the first part (oxidation of NH3 to NO) of the reaction is carried out is around 11 atm (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). High pressures would be favorable for the other steps too. Excess air is important part of the necessary conditions.
Principle
Increasing the pressure would be favorable. If we add pressure, the equilibrium would shift to the side with less moles to actually reduce pressure. In the equation, there are less moles on the product side so it would shift to the right.
The catalyst in this reaction is Platinum. It is made up of woven/knitted gauze (Nitric Acid, 2015). Although, it is very expensive.
Because the reaction is exothermic, a temperature decrease will cause the equilibrium to shift to the right. The shift causes an increase in energy on the products side of the equation.
An increase in concentration would be favorable. This is because if a reactant/product is added to the system at equilibrium, then it will shift away from the increased amount to lower the concentration on both sides. Adding more reactants (H20 and O2) would shift the equilibrium to the right, promoting a forward reaction.
Nitric Acid is used to make explosives which explains why there is such a high temperature necessary for the process (Nitric Acid, 2015).
The Ostwald process is the process used to create Nitric Acid from Ammonia (Nitric Acid, 2015). The process is used in fertilizers because plants need Nitrogen for photosynthesis (Nitric Acid, 2015). The Ostwald process is also used pharmaceuticals.
Wilhelm Ostwald developed the process in 1902. He was a Russian-German (Wilhelm Ostwald- Biographical, 2014).
There are three steps to make Nitric Acid from Ammonia (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). The first step is the catalytic oxidation of Ammonia (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). This produces Nitrogen Monoxide (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). The next step is the oxidation of Nitrogen Monoxide (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). This forms Nitrogen Dioxide (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). In the third step, Nitrogen Dioxide is absorbed after being mixed with water (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012). This final step produces Nitric Acid (Production of Nitric Acid, 2012).