Ostwald process

The Ostwald process is an industrial method for producing nitric acid by catalytically oxidizing ammonia and absorbing the resulting nitrogen oxides in water.

Ammonia oxidation: The catalytic reaction of ammonia with oxygen to form nitric oxide and water. This first stage converts ammonia into the nitrogen oxide that leads to nitric acid.
Nitric acid: A strong mineral acid with formula HNO₃, used widely in chemical production. It is the principal product made by the Ostwald process.
Wilhelm Ostwald: A German chemist who developed a catalytic method for producing nitric acid from ammonia. His work supplied the process's name and its key industrial chemistry.
Oxidation: A chemical process involving electron loss, oxygen gain, or an increase in oxidation state. Ammonia and nitric oxide undergo successive oxidation steps in the process.
Nitrous oxide: A greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting compound with formula N₂O. It can form as a by-product of ammonia oxidation and escape from plants.
Platinum-rhodium catalyst: A platinum-rhodium alloy used as a catalyst in high-temperature industrial reactions. Its gauze surface catalyzes ammonia oxidation in the process.
Ammonium nitrate: A nitrogen-rich salt used chiefly in fertilizers and, under controlled conditions, explosives. Nitric acid from the process combines with ammonia to make this major fertilizer.
Ammonia oxidation patent: A patent covering catalytic oxidation of ammonia to produce nitrogen oxides for nitric acid manufacture. Ostwald patented the route that became the basis of the process.
Heterogeneous catalysis: Catalysis in which the catalyst and reacting substances occupy different phases. Ammonia and oxygen gases react on a solid platinum-rhodium surface.
Greenhouse gas emissions: Releases of gases that absorb infrared radiation and contribute to atmospheric warming. Process heat and nitrous oxide emissions contribute to its climate footprint.

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