producer-gas and caustic soda. Hydrogen was available; from the decomposition of distillation gases, by the alternate action of steam and reducing gases
on iron, by the electrolysis of water, by the action of water-gas on calcium
hydroxide, from the electrolytic manufacture of alkali, and the manufacture of
oxalates from formats.
18 In their experiments at Karlsruhe however, Haber
and Robert used nitrogen from the Linde process—which was relatively free
from Argon—together with ‘electrolytic’ hydrogen. The approach developed
by the men employed two machines, viz., an apparatus for comparing the
efficiency of various catalysts, and a separate small scale continuous circulation
19 apparatus which employed the most successful catalysts from the first
machine, but repeatedly returned unreacted residual gas (refreshed with
stoichiometric nitrogen and hydrogen) to the ‘contact substance’ thereby
avoiding a situation where ammonia was removed but the valuable residue
allowed to go to waste.
But long before Haber and Le Rossignol had devised a practical machine to
synthesise ammonia from its elements based around these ideas, the patents
people at BASF demanded that the notion of a catalytic circulation process be
protected. As early as 13 October 1908 therefore, Haber, together with Le
Rossignol on behalf of the BASF, submitted his first patent concerning
synthetic ammonia viz., Deutsches Reichspatent D.R.P. 235421, issued on
08 June 1911.
20 This ‘base’ patent—supplementary patents followed—subsequently became known as the ‘circulation patent’ and its principle is still
used in every ammonia plant today. The invention that Haber and Robert
were yet to realise was summed up in the patent claim;
Process for synthetic production of ammonia from its elements, whereby an
appropriate mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen is continuously subjected to
both the production of ammonia under the influence of heated catalysts, and
continuous removal of the resulting ammonia, characterised by constant
pressure and the transfer of process heat from the ammonia containing reaction
gases to the ammonia-free gas mixture.
Many of the ideas behind this claim stemmed from the work presented in
Hamburg and in ‘Bestimmung …’ but the practical realisation of the ‘transfer
of process heat…’ and the ‘continuous removal of the resulting ammonia …’,
however, were yet to be addressed.
8 The Big Fix …
161
on iron, by the electrolysis of water, by the action of water-gas on calcium
hydroxide, from the electrolytic manufacture of alkali, and the manufacture of
oxalates from formats.
18 In their experiments at Karlsruhe however, Haber
and Robert used nitrogen from the Linde process—which was relatively free
from Argon—together with ‘electrolytic’ hydrogen. The approach developed
by the men employed two machines, viz., an apparatus for comparing the
efficiency of various catalysts, and a separate small scale continuous circulation
19 apparatus which employed the most successful catalysts from the first
machine, but repeatedly returned unreacted residual gas (refreshed with
stoichiometric nitrogen and hydrogen) to the ‘contact substance’ thereby
avoiding a situation where ammonia was removed but the valuable residue
allowed to go to waste.
But long before Haber and Le Rossignol had devised a practical machine to
synthesise ammonia from its elements based around these ideas, the patents
people at BASF demanded that the notion of a catalytic circulation process be
protected. As early as 13 October 1908 therefore, Haber, together with Le
Rossignol on behalf of the BASF, submitted his first patent concerning
synthetic ammonia viz., Deutsches Reichspatent D.R.P. 235421, issued on
08 June 1911.
20 This ‘base’ patent—supplementary patents followed—subsequently became known as the ‘circulation patent’ and its principle is still
used in every ammonia plant today. The invention that Haber and Robert
were yet to realise was summed up in the patent claim;
Process for synthetic production of ammonia from its elements, whereby an
appropriate mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen is continuously subjected to
both the production of ammonia under the influence of heated catalysts, and
continuous removal of the resulting ammonia, characterised by constant
pressure and the transfer of process heat from the ammonia containing reaction
gases to the ammonia-free gas mixture.
Many of the ideas behind this claim stemmed from the work presented in
Hamburg and in ‘Bestimmung …’ but the practical realisation of the ‘transfer
of process heat…’ and the ‘continuous removal of the resulting ammonia …’,
however, were yet to be addressed.
8 The Big Fix …
161