Flaber process

Other ammonium salts are used as fertilizers, and the first step in their production is the production of ammonia by the Flaber process. Some of the ammonium salts that are effective for use as fertilizers are ammonium sulfate and ammonium phosphate that are prepared by the reactions... 

Flaber process—The chemical process by which nitrogen and hydrogen are combined with each other at high temperature and pressure over a catalyst to produce ammonia. 

One of the main goals of chemical kinetics is to understand the steps by which a reaction takes place. This series of steps is called the reaction mechanism. Understanding the mechanism allows us to find ways to facilitate the reaction. For example, the Flaber process for the production of ammonia requires high temperatures to achieve commercially feasible reaction rates. Flowever, even higher temperatures (and more cost) would be required without the use of iron oxide, which speeds up the reaction. 

The Flaber process combines N2 and H2 in a high-pressme tank at a total pressure of several hundred atmospheres, in the presence of a catalyst, and at a temperature of several hundred degrees Celsius. The two gases react to form ammonia under these conditions, but the reaction does not lead to complete consumption of the N2 and H2. Rather, at some point the reaction appears to stop, with all three components of the reaction mixture present at the same time. 

---