Fritz Haber
A German chemist, he was born into a Jewish family in Breslau, Silesia, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland). He has had a strong interest in the chemical industry since he was a child.
After graduating from high school, Haber went to university in Berlin, Heidelberg, and Zurich. During his schooling, he also interned in several factories and gained a lot of practical experience. He loved the great career of Liebig, the father of German agricultural chemistry, the chemical industry.
During his college years, Haber wrote a thesis on organic chemistry under the guidance of Professor Hoffmann at the University of Berlin, and received his doctorate. In 1904, with two entrepreneurs promising strong support, Haber began researching the industrial production of synthetic ammonia. In 1909, he succeeded and became the first scientist to produce ammonia from the air. This has freed mankind from the passive situation of relying on natural nitrogen fertilizers and accelerated the development of world agriculture. Hubble has since become a world-famous scientist. In recognition of Haber's contribution, the Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Haber the 1918 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. During World War I, when Haber served as the director of the Chemical Arsenal, he was responsible for the development and production of poisonous gases such as chlorine and mustard gas, which were used in the war, causing nearly one million casualties. Although according to his own statement, this was "to end the war as soon as possible," Haber's behavior was still condemned by scientists from the United States, Britain, France, and China. Haber's wife Imeva also committed suicide. in protest.
After the First World War, Hubble conducted another experiment to extract gold from seawater, but it ultimately failed. In early 1934, he was sent to work at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry in Palestine. Haber died of a sudden heart attack in Basel, Switzerland on January 29, 1934.
[Edit this paragraph] The inventor of the Haber process for ammonia synthesis
Fritz Haber 1868- 1934
In the history of the development of chemistry, there is a chemist who, although he has long since passed away, has left the world with fierce debates about his merits and demerits. He was Fritz Haber, the world-famous German physical chemist and inventor of ammonia at the beginning of this century.
Those who praised Haber said: He is an angel, bringing harvest and joy to mankind, and a saint who makes bread from air; those who cursed him said: He is a devil, bringing disaster to mankind. Pain and death, tit-for-tat and completely different evaluations, refer to the same person, which is shocking; what are the merits and demerits of Haber, let's look at the glorious but bumpy road this chemist took in his life.
[Edit this paragraph] Haber and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Looking through the records of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, you can see that there was no award from 1916 to 1917, because during this period, Europe While going through the First World War, the prize was awarded in 1918. The Chemistry Prize was awarded to the German chemist Haber. This aroused discussion among scientists. Some scientists from Britain, France and other countries publicly expressed their opposition. They believed that Hubble was not qualified to receive this honor. Why is this?
With the development of agriculture, the demand for nitrogen fertilizer is growing rapidly. Before the 19th century, the source of nitrogen fertilizer needed in agriculture mainly came from organic by-products, such as manure, seed cake and green manure. A large sodium nitrate deposit was discovered in Chile in 1809 and was quickly exploited. On the one hand, this mineral resource is limited, and on the other hand, the military industry also requires a large amount of saltpeter to produce explosives. Therefore, another way must be found to solve the source of nitrogen fertilizer.
Some far-sighted chemists pointed out: Considering the future food problem, in order to save future generations from starvation, we must hope that scientists can achieve atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Therefore, fixing the abundant nitrogen in the air and converting it into a usable form became a major issue that attracted the attention and concern of many scientists in the early 20th century. Haber is one of the chemists engaged in experimental and theoretical research on the process conditions of ammonia synthesis.
The industrial production of ammonia using nitrogen and hydrogen as raw materials was once a difficult subject. It took about 150 years from the first laboratory development to industrial production. In 1795, someone tried to synthesize ammonia at normal pressure, and later someone tried it at 50 atmospheres, but they all failed.
In the second half of the 19th century, great progress in physical chemistry made people realize that the reaction of synthesizing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen is reversible. Increasing pressure will push the reaction in the direction of producing ammonia: increasing temperature will move the reaction in the opposite direction. However, if the temperature is too low, the reaction speed will be too small; the catalyst will have an important impact on the reaction. This actually provides theoretical guidance for ammonia synthesis experiments. At that time, the authority of physical chemistry, Nernst of Germany, clearly pointed out that nitrogen and hydrogen can synthesize ammonia under high pressure conditions, and provided some experimental data. The French chemist Le Chatery was the first to try to conduct an experiment to synthesize ammonia under high pressure, but he gave up this dangerous experiment because oxygen was mixed into the nitrogen-hydrogen mixture, causing an explosion. Haber, who had a good foundation in physical and chemical research, was determined to overcome this daunting problem.
Haber first conducted a series of experiments to explore the optimal physical and chemical conditions for the synthesis of ammonia. Some of the data he obtained in the experiment were different from Nernst's. He did not blindly follow authority, but relied on experiments to test, and finally confirmed that Nernst's calculations were wrong. With the assistance of a student from the United Kingdom, Rosenau, Haber successfully designed a set of equipment suitable for high-pressure experiments and a process for synthesizing ammonia. This process is: blowing water vapor over hot coke can obtain A mixture of almost equal volumes of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The carbon monoxide further reacts with water vapor under the action of a catalyst to obtain carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Then the mixed gas is dissolved in water under a certain pressure, and the carbon dioxide is absorbed, thus producing purer hydrogen. Similarly, water vapor is mixed with an appropriate amount of air and passed through red-hot carbon. The oxygen and carbon in the air generate carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, which are absorbed and removed, thereby obtaining the required nitrogen.
The mixed gas of nitrogen and hydrogen synthesizes ammonia under high temperature, high pressure and the action of a catalyst. But what kind of high temperature and pressure conditions are optimal? What kind of catalyst is best? This still requires a lot of effort to explore. With a spirit of perseverance and constant experiments and calculations, Hubble finally achieved inspiring results in 1909. This means that under the conditions of a high temperature of 600C, a pressure of 200 atmospheres, and osmium as a catalyst, synthetic ammonia with a yield of about 8% can be obtained. A conversion rate of 8% is not high, and will certainly affect the economic benefits of production. Haber knew that the ammonia synthesis reaction could not achieve as high a conversion rate as sulfuric acid production, where the conversion rate of the sulfur dioxide oxidation reaction was almost 100%. what to do? Haber believes that this process is feasible if the reaction gas can be circulated under high pressure and the ammonia generated by the reaction is continuously separated from this cycle. So he successfully designed the recycling process of raw gas. This is the Haber process for the synthesis of ammonia.
Going out of the laboratory and carrying out industrial production will still require hard work. After Haber patented the process he designed, he handed it over to the Baden Aniline and Soda Ash Manufacturing Company, Germany's largest chemical company at the time. The company originally planned to use the arc method to produce nitrogen oxide and then synthesize ammonia. Comparing the two, the company immediately canceled the original plan and organized engineering and technical personnel headed by chemical expert Bosch to put Haber's design into practice.
First of all, according to Haber's process flow, they found a more reasonable method to produce a large amount of cheap raw materials nitrogen and hydrogen. Through experiments, they realized that although osmium is a very good catalyst, it is difficult to process because it is easily converted into volatile tetraoxide when it comes in contact with air. In addition, the reserves of this rare metal are very small in the world. The second catalyst suggested by Haber was uranium. Not only is uranium expensive, it's also sensitive to trace amounts of oxygen and water. In order to find an efficient and stable catalyst, they conducted as many as 6,500 experiments and tested 2,500 different formulas in two years, and finally selected an iron catalyst containing lead and magnesium promoters. Developing suitable high-voltage equipment is also key to the process. At that time, low carbon steel could withstand 200 atmospheres of pressure, but it was afraid of decarburization and corrosion by hydrogen. Bosch thought of many ways, and finally decided to add a layer of wrought iron to the low-carbon steel reaction tube. Although wrought iron has no strength, it is not afraid of hydrogen corrosion, which finally solved the problem.
Haber's idea of ??ammonia synthesis was finally realized in 1913, and a synthetic ammonia plant with a daily output of 30 tons was built and put into operation. Since then, ammonia synthesis has become a rapidly developing and very active part of the chemical industry.
The creation of the synthetic ammonia production method not only opened up a way to obtain fixed nitrogen, but more importantly, the realization of this production process had a significant impact on the development of the entire chemical process. The research on synthetic ammonia comes from correct theoretical guidance, and in turn, the research and testing of synthetic ammonia production technology promotes the development of scientific theories. In view of the realization of the industrial production of synthetic ammonia and the promotion of the development of chemical theory by its research, it was correct to decide to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Haber. Harper's acceptance of this award is well-deserved.
[Edit this paragraph] Haber in World War I
Some British and French scientists believe that Haber is not eligible to win the Nobel Prize. Why? Some people once believed that without the establishment of the synthetic ammonia industry, Germany would not have sufficient arms reserves, and the military would not dare to rashly launch World War I. With the synthetic ammonia industry, ammonia can be oxidized into nitrate to ensure the production of gunpowder. Otherwise, gunpowder cannot be guaranteed solely by relying on Chilean saltpeter. Of course, scientists are not directly responsible for certain scientific inventions and creations being used in unjust wars. The criticism of Haber by the British and French scientific circles focused more on Haber's performance in the First World War.
In 1906, Haber became a professor of chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe. In 1911, he was appointed director of the Wilhelm Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry near Berlin, and concurrently served as a professor at the University of Berlin. When the world war broke out in 1914, the blind patriotic enthusiasm stirred up by national chauvinism deeply involved Harper in the vortex of the old war. The laboratory he led became an important military institution serving the war: Haber undertook the supply and development of materials needed for the war, especially in the development of war gases. He once mistakenly believed that poison gas attacks were a good way to end the war and shorten the war, so he served as the scientific director of Germany's poison gas warfare during the war.
According to Harbin's suggestion, in January 1915, the German army placed cylinders containing oxygen at the front of the position and used the wind to blow the chlorine gas toward the enemy positions. The first field trial was a success. On April 22 of that year, during the Battle of Ypres launched by the German army, on a 6-kilometer-wide forward position, the German army released 180 tons of chlorine gas within 5 minutes. The yellow-green poisonous gas, about a person high, rushed along the ground with the force of the phoenix. Towards the British and French positions (chlorine gas has a higher specific gravity than air, so it sinks to the lower level and moves along the ground), enters the trenches and stays there. This poisonous wave caused the British and French troops to feel pain in their noses and throats, and then some people suffocated to death. The British and French soldiers were so frightened that they panicked and fled in all directions. It is estimated that about 15,000 British and French troops were poisoned. This was the beginning of modern chemical warfare using lethal poisons on a large scale for the first time in military history. Since then, both sides of the war have used poison gas, and new types of poison gas have been developed. Even the German authorities had not estimated the casualties caused by poison gas. However, the use of poison gas and chemical warfare was unanimously condemned by the people in European countries. Scientists even criticized this inhumane behavior. In view of this, scientists from Britain, France and other countries naturally opposed the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Haber. Haber was also greatly shaken mentally. Not long after the war ended, he was afraid of being regarded as a war criminal and fled to the countryside for about six months.
[Edit this paragraph] Joy and sorrow in later years
In 1919, the First World War ended with Germany's defeat. Some time after the war, Harper devised a plan to extract gold from seawater. It was hoped that this would be used to pay the war reparations demanded by the Allies. Unfortunately, the gold content in seawater was much less than people imagined at the time, and his efforts were in vain. Thereafter, through reflection on the war, he devoted all his energy to scientific research. Under his effective leadership, the Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry became one of the world's academic centers for chemical research. Based on many years of scientific research experience, he pays special attention to creating an environment for his colleagues to conduct independent research without bias. In his research, he also emphasizes the combination of theoretical research and applied research. As a result, his institute has become a first-class scientific research unit and has trained many high-level researchers. In order to change the disgraceful impression left by the war, he actively worked to strengthen the ties between scientific research institutions in various countries and the friendly exchanges between scientists from various countries. Nearly half of his lab members come from all over the world. The friendly reception and enthusiastic guidance not only won him understanding from the scientific community, but also increased his prestige. However, tragedy soon struck him again.
Haber was born on December 9, 1868 in Brislau, Germany (now Wraoclaw, Poland) to a Jewish businessman family. In 1933, after Hitler usurped power in Germany and established fascist rule, he began to promote the farce of so-called "Aryan science" with the mission of destroying "Jewish science". Although Haber was a famous scientist, because he was a Jew, he Like other Jews, they were brutally persecuted. The fascist authorities ordered the dismissal of all Jews in the scientific and educational sectors. The great chemist Fritz Haber was renamed: "Jew. Haber", that is, Jewish Haber. The Wilhelm Institute he headed was also reorganized. Harper solemnly declared on April 30, 1933: "For more than 40 years, I have chosen my collaborators based on knowledge and moral standards, rather than on their nationality and ethnicity. For the rest of my life, I will Changing what I thought was such a perfect method was something I couldn't do." Subsequently, Haber was forced to leave the country that she had served so devotedly for decades and live in a foreign land. First, he was invited by the University of Cambridge in England to work in Bobo's laboratory. Four months later, the Schiff Institute in Israel hired him to lead physical chemistry research there. But on the way to the Schiff Institute, Harbin suffered a heart attack and died in Switzerland on January 29, 1934.
Although Harbin was forced to leave Germany, the German scientific community and people have not forgotten him. On the first anniversary of his death, many German societies and scholars, despite the obstruction of the Nazis, organized Gather to remember this great scientist
[Edit this paragraph] Hubble's Song
It was Hubble who invented the catalyst
Able to utilize the infinite nitrogen in the air:
He fixed the nitrogen with iron filings,
so that tons of ammonia and various fertilizers
flowed from the German factory out.
?Just a few months later,
the waterway to Chile was cut off,
the source of Chilean saltpeter and guano was cut off;
< p> At that time,The First World War was gathering dark clouds,
Germany needed to stockpile arms.
It was Haber
who mastered the function of a catalyst:
A catalyst in a chemical reaction
does not sit idly by,
< p> It participates in it -Either chip away at the mountain peaks that block the reaction,
thereby lowering the critical point for the reaction,
or dig a tunnel. ,
Or stretch out the molecular arm
to bring the most difficult objects to react,
to form or break bonds between them
Easy to get what you want.
The regenerated catalyst
regains its strength and still acts as a matchmaker.
It was Hubble
who carefully dressed up a handful of iron filings and asked it to create millions of tons of nitrogen.
The Privy Councilor of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute,
claimed to be the catalyst to end the war;
His chemical weapons brought victory to the trenches,
p>
Dummy shells and shrapnel,
are nothing compared to burns and lung ulcers
In Ypres
When soldiers unscrew chlorine tanks
Let the green gas spread across the fields at dawn,
But he was taking notes seriously,
completely forgetting his wife's sad letters.
It was Haber
In postwar Berlin,
addicted to mercury and sulfur,
the elixir sorcerers That set
not only promotes the world but also changes themselves;
Haber's whims -
Extracting millions of gold atoms from every liter of water, < /p>
Turn the sea into a warehouse full of gold bars,
to repay Germany's war debt.
?And this world is changing,
Oh, in Munich, people have heard
the sound of Nazi boots,
< p> People swallow their food to fill their stomachs.This Haber
was looking for another catalyst
It turned out to be himself:
In a foreign country on the Rhine In the small town of Basel,
he catalyzed himself -
The former Protestant and Privy Councilor Haber
became today's Jew Haber who tolerates his anger,< /p>
In the cunning elixir
in the city of Paracelsus*,
he came to the end of his life.