This document discusses ammonia, including its physical, chemical, and structural properties. It describes the Haber-Bosch process for producing ammonia through the reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen gases. Modern plants first convert natural gas to hydrogen, then combine it with nitrogen to make ammonia. The main industrial uses of ammonia are in fertilizer production and household cleaning. Secondary uses include refrigeration and as a lifting gas. In the laboratory, ammonia is used to make other nitrogen compounds and as a solvent. Exposure to high levels of ammonia can harm the environment and cause health issues in humans and animals such as increased blood pressure, mental effects, and damage to the esophagus from ingestion.

1. Ammonia Joshua Campe Sunny Chawla Brandon Hardwicke

2. Study Points Properties of Ammonia Physical Properties Chemical Properties Structural Properties Manufacture of Ammonia History of ammonia manufacturing processes Haber-Bosch process Modern ammonia producing plants Industrial Uses Main Uses Secondary Uses Laboratory Uses Environmental and Health Impacts Environmental Concerns Health Issues

3. Properties of Ammonia Brandon Hardwicke

4. Physical Properties

5. Chemical Properties

6. Structural Properties Ammonia consists of one Nitrogen atom bonded covalently to three Hydrogen atoms, as can be seen in the above diagram. The shape of the molecule can be said to be a triangular pyramid and is dipolar.

7. Production of Ammonia Sunny Chawla

8. History of Ammonia Manufacturing Processes Before the start of World War I, most ammonia was obtained by; the dry distillation of nitrogenous vegetable and animal products, the reduction of nitrous acid and nitrites with hydrogen, and the decomposition of ammonium salts by alkaline hydroxides or by quicklime, the salt most generally used being the chloride (sal-ammoniac).

9. Haber-Bosch process This involves the direct combination of Nitrogen and Hydrogen. The reaction is reversible, meaning that some ammonia will be formed, but not all will react. The reaction is as follows, N2(g) + 3H2(g) ↔ 2NH3(g) ΔH = -93.6 kJ/mol We find that the forward reaction is exothermic and proceeds with decrease in the number of gaseous moles. Therefore, according to Le-Chatelier’s Principle, the conditions favourable for the forward processes are : Low temperature, and High pressure However, at low temperature, the rate of the reaction becomes very slow. Therefore, in practice, the optimum temperature of about 750 K and a pressure of about 2 × 107 Pa, i.e 200 atmospheres is employed. Since the operating temperature is fairly low (750 K), the rate of reaction is increased by using a catalyst which consists of finely divided iron containing molybdenum as promoter.

10. Haber-Bosch Processing Plant

11. Modern Ammonia Producing Plants A typical modern ammonia-producing plant first converts natural gas (i.e., methane) or LPG (liquefied petroleum gases such as propane and butane) or petroleum naphtha into gaseous hydrogen. The method for producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons is referred to as "steam reforming". The hydrogen is then combined with nitrogen to produce ammonia. The figure on the next slide shows the stages of modern process for formation of ammonia.

12. Modern Ammonia Producing Plants

13. Industrial Uses of Ammonia Joshua Campe

14. Main Uses Fertilizer: Quite a lot of the world’s ammonia is actually being used in the production of fertilizer (almost 85% of all ammonia in the world), but only in either its salt or its solution form. These are Ammonium Nitrate and Ammonium Sulfate. Ammonium Nitrate is NH4NO3, and is used in high-nitrate fertilizers. It is created by the Acid-Base reaction between Ammonia and Nitrate; HNO3(aq) + NH3(g) -> NH4NO3(aq) Ammonium Sulfate is (NH4)2SO4 and is used mainly in fertilizer in the reduction of pH of the soil. It is created by Synthetic Ammonia reacting with Sulfuric Acid; 2 NH3 + H2SO4 -> (NH4)2SO4 Cleaner: Household Ammonia (NH3) or Ammonium Hydroxide is a household cleaning product. It is so popular because it is generally streak free and is used mainly in the cleaning of glass stainless steel and occasionally a stove. It will usually contain 5 to 10% ammonia.

15. Secondary Uses Refrigeration: Ammonia is widely used in the industrial refrigeration of ice hockey rinks and similar applications because of its favourable vaporization products. Lifting gas: At S.T.P ammonia is actually lighter than air and has around 60% of the lifting power of Hydrogen and Helium, it has occasionally been used to lift Hot-Air balloons.

16. Laboratory Uses Ammonia is directly or indirectly the precursor to most nitrogen-containing compounds. Virtually all synthetic nitrogen compounds are derived from ammonia. An important derivative is nitric acid. Liquid Ammonia can also be used to dissolve alkali and other electropositive metals. Electropositive metals include Calcium, Strontium and Barium, as well as many others. At a low concentration, usually less than 0.06mol/L, deep blue solutions form containing metal cations and solvated electrons. These solutions are very useful as strong reducing agents. Liquid ammonia is the best-known and most widely studied non-aqueous ionising solvent. Its most conspicuous property is its ability to dissolve alkali metals to form highly coloured, electrically conducting solutions containing solvated electrons. Ammonia can act as a ligand in transition metal complexes. It is a pure σ-donor, in the middle of the spectrochemical series, and shows intermediate hard-soft behavior.

17. Environmental and Health Impacts of Ammonia Joshua Campe

18. Environmental Concerns Ammonia is as stated above, a toxic chemical. When spilled on land or in water it can be potentially devastating to the local environment, but methods have been devised for the safe clean up of the ammonia spills. If spilled on land then a pond, pool type structure should be dug to contain the liquid ammonia, and then filled in with sandbags, or possible foamed concrete. If spilled in water it should have dilute acid added to it to negate the effects. The water should not be consumed however.

19. Health Issues Ammonia is classified as a Class-2 poison, this means that it is toxic to humans, animals and the environment. Class-1 is very toxic and Class-3 is merely hazardous. Excessive exposure to ammonia can lead to numerous health problems, including but not limited to: Increase in both blood pressure and the pulse rate An altered mental status (i.e. coma) has been known to occur in extreme circumstances. If ammonia is absorbed in excess, it can result in seizures which occur in increasing frequency and level. It has also led to a decrease in the production of eggs among animals. If ingested swelling of the lips, mouth and esophagus is extremely likely to occur. And the vapors are both irritating and fairly corrosive