About half of all the nitrogen atoms in your body right now came through the Haber process. Without it, the world could only support around 4 billion people — we currently feed 8 billion. It is arguably the most important industrial chemical reaction ever developed. The challenge: nitrogen gas is almost completely unreactive. Getting it to combine with hydrogen requires exactly the right pressure, temperature, and a catalyst — a compromise that took chemists decades to work out.
This introduction covers A Reaction That Feeds the World within The Haber Process & Fertilisers for GCSE Chemistry. Revise The Haber Process & Fertilisers in Rates of Reaction for GCSE Chemistry with 6 exam-style questions and 6 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 1 of 13 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for The Haber Process & Fertilisers
In the Haber process, where is the nitrogen obtained from?
State the equation for the Haber process and give the conditions used. Include the catalyst.
Quick recall flashcards
Write the equation for the Haber process.
N₂ + 3H₂ ⇌ 2NH₃
The ⇌ shows the reaction is reversible.
The forward reaction is exothermic.
State the three conditions used in the Haber process.
1. Temperature: ~450°C
2. Pressure: ~200 atmospheres
3. Catalyst: iron
Unreacted N₂ and H₂ are recycled.