NITROGEN

Nitrogen
 Nitrogen was discovered by Daniel Rutherford in 1772.
Nitrogen is colourless, odourless ( gas at STP) and slightly
soluble in water.
Melting point is - 209.8 °C and Boiling Point is - 196 °C.
It is occurs in atmosphere about 78 % by volume.
All living matter contains nitrogen in the form of protein .
The extreme abundance of nitrogen in air and low relative
abundance of nitrogen compound on earth crust are
probably due to chemical inertness of nitrogen molecule
 Inertness of molecular nitrogen ( Dinitrogen)
• Chemically nitrogen molecule(N2) is stable and inert at
room temperature . This is due to its high dissociation
energy.
• In nitrogen molecule , the two nitrogen atoms are held
together by strong triple bond (N≡N). The bond dissociation
energy of triple bond is 945.4 KJ mol -1( higher than that of
any similar diatomic molecule). Hence it does not react
readily .
• However at high temperature it reacts with other elements
due to dissociation of triple bond.
 Active Nitrogen

Active nitrogen is the atomic form of nitrogen

Active nitrogen can be prepared by passing electric spark

through N2 at low pressure.

It is highly reactive due to presence of three unpaired

electrons in it

Active nitrogen react with number of elements to form

nitrides and breaks many normally stable molecules.
Ammonia (NH3)
 Physical properties of NH3

Ammonia is a colourless gas with a pungent smell and

causes tear in eyes.

Lighter than air

Highly soluble in water due to formation of hydrogen

bonding in water molecule.

It is liquefied into colourless liquid at -33.4° C and solidified

into white crystalline solid at -78° C
 Chemical Properties of NH3

1. Basic nature
Ammonia is highly soluble in water . Its aqueous solution is
weakly basic due to the formation of OH - ions.

NH3 (g) + H2O NH4OH NH4 + (aq.) + OH - (aq.)

Being basic, it turns moist red litmus paper into blue and
neutralizes acids in the dry state as well as in aqueous
solutions forming their corresponding salts .

NH3 (aq ) + HCl NH4 Cl (white fumes )

2. Oxidation of ammonia by oxygen
When heated in pure oxygen , it burns to give nitrogen and
water
NH3 + 3 O2 N2 + H2O

But in presence of heated platinum , ammonia is oxidized to

nitric oxide by the oxygen of air

800 °C / Pt gauze
NH3 + 3 O2 4 NO + 6 H2O + heat

This is an important reaction in the Ostwald process for

the manufacture of nitric acid
3. Reaction with CuSO4 solution
When ammonia gas is passed through copper sulphate solution, a
blueish white ppt. of copper hydroxide is first formed , which
dissolves in excess of ammonia to form deep blue solution of
tetramine copper(II) sulphate.

CuSO4 + 2NH4OH Cu(OH)2 + (NH4)2SO4

(bluish white ppt)

Cu(OH)2 + (NH4)2SO4 + 2NH4OH [ Cu(NH3)4]SO4 + 4H2O

(excess) Tetrammine Cu(II) sulphate
( Deep blue colouration)
4. Reaction with mercurous nitrate paper
Ammonia gas turns mercurous nitrate paper to black due to
formation of mercuric amino nitrate and finely divided mercury

Hg2 (NO3)2 + 2NH3 [ Hg + Hg(NH2) NO3 ] + NH4NO3

(Mercuric amino nitrate]
(Black ppt)
5. Reaction with metal salts
When aqueous solutions of the salts of metals like iron ,
chromium , aluminum etc. treated with ammonia solution or
gas , the hydroxides of these metals are precipitated.

FeCl3 + 3NH4OH Fe (OH)2 + 3 NH4Cl

AlCl3 + 3 NH4OH Al (OH)3 + NH4Cl

 Manufacture of ammonia by Haber’s process

Principle :

When a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen gas in the ratio of 1: 3

by volume is heated about 450 0C to 500 0C under a pressure of
200 to 900 atm in presence of finely divided iron as catalyst and
MO ( metal oxide ) as a promoter, ammonia gas is obtained. The
reaction takes place as follows.

N2 (g) + 3 H2 (g) 2 NH3 (g) + 22.04 Kcal

 Conditions for maximum yield of NH3 :
Since the reaction is reversible and Le-Chatelier’s principle would
suggest the suitable conditions for maximum yield of ammonia
gas.
i) Low temperature :
since the reaction is exothermic, low temperature is favourable
for the production of ammonia. But at low temperature , the
rate of reaction is too slow and the process may not be
commercially profitable due to the time factor. There fore, an
optimum temperature of about 4500C is used to obtain a
reasonable speed of reaction for the preparation of NH3 .
ii) High pressure :
Since the above reaction proceeds with decrease in volume ,
high pressure would favour the formation of NH3 i. e. when
pressure increases, more ammonia will be formed. So a high
pressure of 200 – 900 atm is applied.

iii) High concentration of the reactants :

For the maximum yield of NH3 , high concentration of N2 and
H2 should be used.
iv) Presence of catalyst:
In the absence of catalyst , the rate of combination of N2 and H2
is too slow. Presence of the catalyst speed up the reaction . So
finely divided iron as catalyst and a little molybdenum as
promoter are used to speed up the reaction.

(v) Purity of gas: Pure H2 and N2 gas should be supplied.

Presence of impurities such as carbon monoxide(CO) ,
sulphur(S) etc. must be avoided to protect from catalytic
poisoning.
Fig: Manufacture of ammonia by Haber’s Process
 Working of the plant
The working of the plant can be described as below:
i) Production of N2 and H2 :
H2 gas may be obtained either by electrolysis of water or by
fractional liquefaction of water gas (CO + H2) and N2 is obtained by
fractional distillation of liquid air are mixed in the ratio 1: 3 by
volume and sent to the purifying unit.
ii) purifying unit:
The mixture of N2 and H2 gases are passed into a purifying unit
containing soda-lime water which absorbs CO2 and moisture.
iii) Compressor:
The mixture of N2 and H2 is subjected to a pressure of 200 –
900atm with the help of compression pump.
 iv) Catalytic chamber :
The gaseous mixture is then passed to catalytic chamber which is
packed with finely divided iron containing a little MO as a
promoter. The chamber withstand high pressure. Initially, the
chamber is heated to about 450 o C to initiate the reaction. As
the reaction is exothermic, heat is produced keeps the reaction
going.
v) Condenser : The gases coming out of the catalyst chamber
contain NH3 along with N2 and H2 is passed through a condenser
when NH3 gas is liquefied but not H2 and N2 . The liquefied NH3
is collected in a receiver.
vi) Recirculation pump: The uncondensed gases ( N2 and H2)
are recirculated through to the recirculation pump.
Why is NH3 gas not dried over conc. H2 SO4 and anhydrous CaCl2 ?
Ans:
2NH3 + H2 SO 4 ( NH4 )2 SO4
8NH3 + CaCl2 CaCl2 . 8NH3 Or Ca (NH3)8 Cl2
( Octammine calcium (II) chloride)

So that ammonia is best dried by passing it through lime tower

packed with quick lime.
 Uses of ammonia

 It is used for making dyes, plastics , explosives and synthetic

fibers.
 It is used to prepare various nitrogenous fertilizers such as
urea , ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, ammonium
phosphate , calcium ammonium nitrate ( CAN) etc.
 It is used as good refrigerating agent (coolant) in the
manufacture of ice and for cold storage
 It is used in the manufacture of nitric acid ( Ostwald process)
and other ammonium salts.
 It is also used as laboratory reagent.
 It is used as for removing grease and oil of window paints
 Harmful effects of ammonia

 Ammonia is irritating and corrosive.

 Inhalation of lower concentration can cause coughing and
nose and throat irritation.
 Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in air causes
immediate burning of nose, throat and respiratory tract and
can result in blindness, lung damage or death.
 When ammonia enters the body as a result of breathing
swallowing or skin contact it react with water to produce
ammonium hydroxide. This chemical is corrosive and damages
cell in body on contact