Haber and Bosch Develop Synthetic Nitrogen Fixation
1909 · 20th Century
In 1909, Fritz Haber demonstrated that atmospheric nitrogen could be fixed into ammonia using an iron catalyst under high pressure. Carl Bosch then scaled the process to industrial production at BASF in Karlsruhe, Germany. The Haber-Bosch process broke the biological monopoly on nitrogen fixation, enabling mass production of synthetic fertilizer. Estimates suggest roughly half of the nitrogen in human bodies today derives from this process. The same chemistry also enabled production of explosives, linking the invention to both agricultural expansion and modern warfare.
Key Figures
Fritz HaberCarl Bosch
Locations
Karlsruhe
Topics
agricultureexperimental methodchemical elementsnitrogen fixationsynthetic fertilizerindustrial chemistry
Connected Events — 6 Connections
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