C6.1 - Improving Processes Flashcards
List 3 essential nutrients/minerals plants need to grow & repair
- Nitrogen (N)
- Phosphorus (P)
- Potassium (K)
Name the essential plant nutrients/minerals & typical symptoms of their deficiency
- Nitrogen = poor growth, yellow leaves
- Phosphorus = poor root growth, discoloured leaves
- Potassium = poor fruit growth, discoloured leaves
Fertilisers
= substances that replace elements used by plants as they grow
NPK fertilisers
= fertilisers that provide nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium in water-soluble compounds
Why is it important for these nutrients to be in the water-soluble form
As plant roots can only absorb them in this way
Osmosis
List the compounds in the water-soluble form for each essential element
- nitrogen = nitrate ions (NO3-) / ammonium ions (NH4+)
- phosphorus = phosphate ions (PO43-)
- potassium = potassium ions (K+)
Haber process
= industrial process to make ammonia
Manufactures ammonia from nitrogen & hydrogen
Write the word and symbol equation for the reaction in the haber process
Nitrogen + hydrogen —> ammonia (exothermic)
N2(g) + 3H2(g) —> 2NH3(g)
what are the raw materials for the haber process
- air
- natural gas
- steam
How do the raw materials make nitrogen & hydrogen
- Nitrogen: manufactured by fractional distillation of liquified air
- Hydrogen: manufactured by reacting natural gas (methane) with steam
Conditions chosen for the haber process
- pressure: 200 atmospheres (20MPa)
- temperature: 450ºC
- iron catalyst
Why is the equilibrium yield of ammonia for the chosen conditions in the haber process only 30%
Perfect equilibrium position for temp & pressure
- to increase pressure pressure = too hazardous & expensive
- to decrease temp = too slow rate of reaction, compromise temp
What increases the overall yield of ammonia to 97% in the haber process
Mixture of gases leaving the reaction vessel is cooled = ammonia is liquified
Allows:
- ammonia to be removed
- unreacted nitrogen & hydrogen to be recycled
List the word equations to make the compounds made in a fertiliser factory
- ammonia + nitric acid —> ammonium nitrate
- ammonia + phosphoric acid —> ammonium phosphate
- ammonia + sulfuric acid —> ammonium sulfate
- ammonium nitrate + potassium chloride —> potassium nitrate
Batch process
Chemical process that makes products in limited amounts at different times
Continuous process
Chemical process that makes products in large amounts all the time