Chemical drive basic value

At tA> t3, this basic act of the reaction-diffusion process is completed by the formation of an additional row of molecules AB and then is repeated with an AB layer thicker by one molecule AB, and so on. Its driving force is the difference in values of the chemical potential of component B in initial phases A and B. This constant difference exists until at least one of initial substances A or B is exhausted. 

The demand for nitrogen in a chemically fixed form (as opposed to elemental nitrogen gas) drives a huge international industry that encompasses the production of seven key chemical nitrogen products ammonia, urea, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, nitrogen solutions, ammonium sulfate and ammonium phosphates. Such nitrogen products had a total worldwide annual commercial value of about US 50 billion in 1996. The cornerstone of this industry is ammonia. Virtually all ammonia is produced in anhydrous form via the Haber process (as described in Chapter 2). Anhydrous ammonia is the basic raw material in a host of applications and in the manufacture of fertilizers, livestock feeds, commercial and military explosives, polymer intermediates, and miscellaneous chemicals35. 

Salt formation involves proton transfer from an acid to a base. In theory, any compound that exhibits acidic or basic characteristics can form salts. The major consideration is the relative acidity and/or basicity of the chemical species involved. To form a salt, the pKa of the acidic partner must be less than the pKa of the conjugate acid of the basic partner. These pKa values need to be about two units apart for total proton transfer to occur, otherwise an equilibrium mixture of all components (acid, base, and salt) is likely to result. Even so, equilibrium mixtures of this type can often be used to prepare salts if a driving force is present, such as the crystallization of the salt from solution. 

---