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Chemistry · L3 · Haber vs Contact — same compromise, different pressure answer

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Both the Haber and Contact processes settle on ~450°C via the same yield-vs-rate catalyst fix, but their pressure choices diverge — 200 atm is worth it for one, atmospheric is enough for the other.

by @openstemUpdated Chemistry
Both reactions are exothermic and gas-phase: lower temperature and higher pressure would each favour more productHaber process: N2 + 3H2 ⇌ 2NH3Contact process: 2SO2 + O2 ⇌ 2SO3Iron catalyst speeds up reaching equilibrium at ~450°CVanadium(V) oxide catalyst speeds up reaching equilibrium at ~450°CPressure raised to ~200 atm: the yield gain is big enough to justify costly high-pressure equipmentPressure kept just above atmospheric: yield is already ~98% at low pressure, so high-pressure equipment isn't worth itSame yield-vs-rate-vs-cost logic, two different pressure answers

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