major producers of compressed gases. Now, whether Nernst had read
‘Bestimmung …’ by then remains unclear but Haber knew that Jost was still
active regarding ammonia because of their recent exchange in ‘Zeitschrift’
(Chap. 6). Haber described Nernst’s behaviour at the time as ‘euphoric’.
27
Nernst now believed that the synthesis of ammonia from its elements was a
distinct possibility and Haber was deeply disturbed for he regarded the
ammonia problem as his territory. Subsequent to this meeting of course,
28 the
Griesheim Works privately advised Nernst of their lack of confidence in this
approach, and without industrial support—but unbeknown to Haber—
Nernst soon walked away from the problem. But Berlin lit Haber’s ‘blue
touch paper’, and he retreated to Karlsruhe convinced that he now had to
contend with determined competition from an old adversary. Here then was
the reason he needed to move forward with his engineer. The thought of
Nernst, like some kind of chemical ‘cowboy’,
29 riding into ‘Habertown’ on
the back of a shabby equilibrium held together with theoretical sticking
plasters, then ‘robbing his intellectual bank’, was too much for Haber to
countenance and with funding from the BASF in place, from this point
onwards, all his efforts regarding the problem of nitrogen fixation focussed on
ammonia and its elemental synthesis.
Because of his work with Le Rossignol, the principal technical barriers to
overcome were perfectly clear; carry out the process within apparatus capable
of operating at least 100 atmospheres—but preferably double that—and take
advantage of this by lowering the temperature, simultaneously finding a
catalyst that could promote the reaction at around 700 °C or even lower. Of
these two technical objectives, high pressure must have seemed more easily
achievable. Biographers Szöllössi-Janze
3 and Stoltzenberg
30 differ in describing how Haber progressed from here, but both agree that he had by this time
‘become aware’
31 of industrially important processes that proceeded at very
high pressures indeed, viz, the Linde process for the liquefaction of air
at *200 atmospheres, and secondly the ‘Formiat herstellung’ a pressurised
process for making sodium formate from caustic soda and producer gas.
Stoltzenberg describes Haber receiving support from BASF to purchase a
compressor but provides no detail. Szöllössi-Janze on the other hand is more
precise, suggesting that funds were made available to Haber as a consequence
of his role as an expert witness in a dispute between the firms
Elektrocemischen Werken Bitterfeld and Koepp and Co. Whatever the origin
of the funds, a compressor was eventually purchased—although we know
nothing of its provenance
31
—but Szöllössi-Janze insists it came with;
7 Taking Care of Business
153
‘Bestimmung …’ by then remains unclear but Haber knew that Jost was still
active regarding ammonia because of their recent exchange in ‘Zeitschrift’
(Chap. 6). Haber described Nernst’s behaviour at the time as ‘euphoric’.
27
Nernst now believed that the synthesis of ammonia from its elements was a
distinct possibility and Haber was deeply disturbed for he regarded the
ammonia problem as his territory. Subsequent to this meeting of course,
28 the
Griesheim Works privately advised Nernst of their lack of confidence in this
approach, and without industrial support—but unbeknown to Haber—
Nernst soon walked away from the problem. But Berlin lit Haber’s ‘blue
touch paper’, and he retreated to Karlsruhe convinced that he now had to
contend with determined competition from an old adversary. Here then was
the reason he needed to move forward with his engineer. The thought of
Nernst, like some kind of chemical ‘cowboy’,
29 riding into ‘Habertown’ on
the back of a shabby equilibrium held together with theoretical sticking
plasters, then ‘robbing his intellectual bank’, was too much for Haber to
countenance and with funding from the BASF in place, from this point
onwards, all his efforts regarding the problem of nitrogen fixation focussed on
ammonia and its elemental synthesis.
Because of his work with Le Rossignol, the principal technical barriers to
overcome were perfectly clear; carry out the process within apparatus capable
of operating at least 100 atmospheres—but preferably double that—and take
advantage of this by lowering the temperature, simultaneously finding a
catalyst that could promote the reaction at around 700 °C or even lower. Of
these two technical objectives, high pressure must have seemed more easily
achievable. Biographers Szöllössi-Janze
3 and Stoltzenberg
30 differ in describing how Haber progressed from here, but both agree that he had by this time
‘become aware’
31 of industrially important processes that proceeded at very
high pressures indeed, viz, the Linde process for the liquefaction of air
at *200 atmospheres, and secondly the ‘Formiat herstellung’ a pressurised
process for making sodium formate from caustic soda and producer gas.
Stoltzenberg describes Haber receiving support from BASF to purchase a
compressor but provides no detail. Szöllössi-Janze on the other hand is more
precise, suggesting that funds were made available to Haber as a consequence
of his role as an expert witness in a dispute between the firms
Elektrocemischen Werken Bitterfeld and Koepp and Co. Whatever the origin
of the funds, a compressor was eventually purchased—although we know
nothing of its provenance
31
—but Szöllössi-Janze insists it came with;
7 Taking Care of Business
153