example, could be used as a finely divided metal or in the form of a compound which upon being used becomes converted to metallic osmium, the
men suggesting osmium oxide. Similarly, uranium could be used as the metal,
as an alloy, as the nitride or in a mixture with other compounds. However, as
the oxide its effectiveness was reduced so the two men suggested that water
—’or bodies which give rise to water’—be excluded. Their enthusiasm
however was short lived. Later, osmium and uranium were thoroughly discredited (Chap. 10) by the BASF as catalysts. But such difficulties lay in the
future and as far as Haber and Robert were concerned progress towards a
more sustainable catalyst had been made. By June 1909 they also felt they
were in a position to address the second of the BASFs demands, a demonstration of the feasibility of the high-pressure synthesis of ammonia from its
elements, with gas recirculation.
The demonstration was set for 01/02 July 1909 at Haber’s laboratory in
Karlsruhe, to where Carl Bosch, Alwin Mittasch (BASF’s catalyst expert) and
Julius Kranz (BASF’s chief mechanic) were all cordially invited. The two days
set aside for the demonstrations involved a number of experiments, but
Haber’s guests could only make the trip to Karlsruhe on the second day, by
which time the machine had probably been assembled and disassembled
several times over. Nevertheless, Robert recalled
10 the excitement in the
laboratory as they waited for the guests to arrive. But ever the practical man
and intimately bound to his machine, he was also tense and sceptical, charged
with the fear of Tücke des Objekts (the ‘spite of things’). Friday 02 July 1909
was the day that the final form of the laboratory scale technical apparatus was
properly demonstrated for the first time, and although confident in his
engineering and the performance of individual parts, he knew that so many
things could still go wrong.
The morning of the demonstration began well enough. Preliminary checks
on the gas supplies, the compressor, the cooling agents, the valves and the
joints all passed without incident. The machine was disassembled and prepared by charging the furnace with almost 100 grams of osmium powder.
38
Assembling the machine was quite straightforward, after all this had been
done many times before but, on this occasion, when someone tightened the
bolts on the furnace, Robert’s worst fears were realised and he recalls that ‘Ein
Bolzen des Hochdruckapparates sprang beim Festschrauben …’
10 as a thread
on one of the bolts stripped. Now this set-back may have been caused by
cross-threading or over-tightening the nut, or simply by wear and tear from
the frequent disassembly and re-assembly. Whichever, it threw to laboratory
into a panic, and just as the guests arrived. ‘Tücke des Objekts’ indeed—but
now with the added bitterness of perfect timing.
8 The Big Fix …
175
men suggesting osmium oxide. Similarly, uranium could be used as the metal,
as an alloy, as the nitride or in a mixture with other compounds. However, as
the oxide its effectiveness was reduced so the two men suggested that water
—’or bodies which give rise to water’—be excluded. Their enthusiasm
however was short lived. Later, osmium and uranium were thoroughly discredited (Chap. 10) by the BASF as catalysts. But such difficulties lay in the
future and as far as Haber and Robert were concerned progress towards a
more sustainable catalyst had been made. By June 1909 they also felt they
were in a position to address the second of the BASFs demands, a demonstration of the feasibility of the high-pressure synthesis of ammonia from its
elements, with gas recirculation.
The demonstration was set for 01/02 July 1909 at Haber’s laboratory in
Karlsruhe, to where Carl Bosch, Alwin Mittasch (BASF’s catalyst expert) and
Julius Kranz (BASF’s chief mechanic) were all cordially invited. The two days
set aside for the demonstrations involved a number of experiments, but
Haber’s guests could only make the trip to Karlsruhe on the second day, by
which time the machine had probably been assembled and disassembled
several times over. Nevertheless, Robert recalled
10 the excitement in the
laboratory as they waited for the guests to arrive. But ever the practical man
and intimately bound to his machine, he was also tense and sceptical, charged
with the fear of Tücke des Objekts (the ‘spite of things’). Friday 02 July 1909
was the day that the final form of the laboratory scale technical apparatus was
properly demonstrated for the first time, and although confident in his
engineering and the performance of individual parts, he knew that so many
things could still go wrong.
The morning of the demonstration began well enough. Preliminary checks
on the gas supplies, the compressor, the cooling agents, the valves and the
joints all passed without incident. The machine was disassembled and prepared by charging the furnace with almost 100 grams of osmium powder.
38
Assembling the machine was quite straightforward, after all this had been
done many times before but, on this occasion, when someone tightened the
bolts on the furnace, Robert’s worst fears were realised and he recalls that ‘Ein
Bolzen des Hochdruckapparates sprang beim Festschrauben …’
10 as a thread
on one of the bolts stripped. Now this set-back may have been caused by
cross-threading or over-tightening the nut, or simply by wear and tear from
the frequent disassembly and re-assembly. Whichever, it threw to laboratory
into a panic, and just as the guests arrived. ‘Tücke des Objekts’ indeed—but
now with the added bitterness of perfect timing.
8 The Big Fix …
175