The
Haber process, also called the
Haber–Bosch process, is an artificial
nitrogen fixation process and is the main industrial procedure for the production of
ammonia today. It is named after its inventors, the German chemists
Fritz Haber and
Carl Bosch, who developed it in the first half of the 20th century. The process converts atmospheric
nitrogen (N
2) to ammonia (NH
3) by a reaction with
hydrogen (H
2) using a metal catalyst under high temperatures and pressures:
- N2 + 3 H2 → 2 NH3 (ΔH = −92.4 kJ·mol−1)