Claire Griffiths Mrs.

Sonja Chemistry September 30th 2013

Was Fritz Haber a Villain or Hero?

Fritz Haber was a physical chemist born into a ewish ho!sehol" in 1#$# in %resla!& 'olan". He is a (ery contro(ersial fi)!re beca!se while he in(ente" the Haber*%osch process that res!lte" in the sa(in) of billions of li(es& he also was consi"ere" +,he father of chemical warfare- an" helpe" Germany "e(elop all .in"s of )ases. His nitro)en was also !se" for weapon ma.in) an" his in(entions were !se" later on as the )as in concentration camps& res!ltin) in more than /0 million "eaths incl!"in) his own family members. 0H1%23 4 %5SCH * Haber*%osch 'rocess.6 0%owl& Chris %%C 7ews6 8n the 1900:s 2!rope an" the ;nite" States were facin) a serio!s foo" crisis beca!se the pop!lations were increasin) so e<ponentially. ,he worl":s pop!lation was aro!n" 1.$ billion people= now it is now more than / billion people. 0H1%23 4 %5SCH * Haber*%osch 'rocess.6,his means that there were more an" more mo!ths to fee" an" the crops weren:t pro"!cin) eno!)h to s!stain a worl" with so many people. 8n 1#9# Sir >illiam Coo.es& a %ritish chemist& pre"icte" that by 19?0 the worl" wo!l" be too m!ch for the wheat pro"!ction to be able to s!stain. ,he reason there was a foo" shorta)e was the o(er har(estin) of plants was "epletin) the nat!ral nitro)en fo!n" in the soil& ma.in) it impossible for new plants to )row. ,o )row& plants nee" fertilizers& which contain nitro)en& phosphor!s an" potassi!m& or 7'@ fertilizer. 7ow fertilizer is rea"ily a(ailable b!t at the time it was almost impossible to )et solely nitro)en. ,he temporary sol!tion of 7itro)en was bat or bir" )!ano har(este" an" shippe" in from So!th 1merica. 5nce the )!ano reser(es starte" "eterioratin)& the worl" came across a h!)e "ilemma * there was an ab!n"ance of nitro)en aro!n" them b!t no way to )et +fi<e" nitro)en- nee"e" for plant )rowth. 7itro)en ma.es !p abo!t #0A of o!r atmosphere b!t it was inaccessible at the time beca!se it is an e<tremely stable molec!le. 72 or nitro)en )as is a triple bon"e" molec!le. For the nitro)en to act!ally be !seable& it has to be +fi<e" nitro)en- or ammonia. 1mmonia 07H36 is the chemical compo!n" of hy"ro)en an" nitro)en& which is !se" to ma.e most fertilizers an" nitric aci"& which can be !se" in e<plosi(es. How e<actly "oes the Haber*%osch process e<tract the nitro)en from the airB 8t is possible by combinin) atmospheric hy"ro)en an" nitro)en !n"er immense heat& ?C0 "e)rees Celsi!s& an" press!re& 200 atmospheres& an" a catalyst in the in"!strial process .nown as the Haber 'rocess. +Hy"ro)en is obtaine" by reactin) nat!ral )as * methane * with steam& or thro!)h the crac.in) of oil. 7itro)en is obtaine" by b!rnin) hy"ro)en in air.- 0Clar.& im. D,he Haber 'rocess for the Man!fact!re of 1mmonia.D6 ,his process is .nown as one of the most si)nificant achie(ements of the 20th cent!ry beca!se to"ay it is estimate" that 2 billion people "epen" on the foo" pro"!ce" beca!se of this process. 0H1%23 4 %5SCH * Haber*%osch 'rocess.6 0D,he ,ra)e"y of Fritz Haber.DNPR.6 %elow is a simplifie" "ia)ram of how the Haber*%osch process wor.s. ,he nitro)en an" hy"ro)en from the air an" catalyst 0!se" to spee" !p the reaction6 are p!t !n"er hi)h temperat!re an"

press!re so that when the )asses cool& they form liE!i" ammonia. ,he wor" an" chemical eE!ations follow& 7itro)en F hy"ro)en GHI ammonia or 720)6 F 3H20)6 HI 27H30)6.

Clar.& im. D,he Haber 'rocess for the Man!fact!re of 1mmonia.DThe Haber Process for the Manufacture of Ammonia. 7.p.& 1pr. 2013. >eb. 0$ Sept. 2013.

,he Haber process itself is relati(ely clean beca!se the only waste is the lar)e amo!nt of warm water !tilize" an" the !se" catalyst. 5ne way a""itional waste co!l" res!lt wo!l" be if one of the reactants& hy"ro)en or nitro)en& were in e<cess. ,hen& it co!l"n:t possibly react with anythin) beca!se there wo!l" be proportionally too m!ch of it for the other reactant. 8n 2010 ammonia pro"!ction plants pro"!ce" 131 million tonnes of ammonia. 0;.S. Geolo)ical S!r(ey6 8t is E!ite efficient b!t !nfort!nately has a costly effect on the eco system. ,he Haber process is not all )oo". 8t has a "e(astatin) impact on the en(ironment. >hen the e<cess nitro)en in fiel"s r!n off& it can seep into !n"er)ro!n" water be"s or r!n off into ri(ers. ,his nitro)en ca!ses an increase in al)ae )rowth& "epletin) the water of almost all of its o<y)en& which is necessary for all aE!atic life. ,his lac. of o<y)en means that these areas ha(e no life in them an" th!s become +"ea" zones-. 8t is sai" that nitro)en fertilizer is the main so!rce of oceanic poll!tion accor"in) to '2> oceans commission. 0Simpson& Sarah. Scientific 1merica6

%r!c.ner& Monica. D,he G!lf of Me<ico Jea" Kone.DThe Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone. Montana State ;ni(ersity&

1s seen in the pict!re abo(e& ,he G!lf of Me<ico has become the lar)est "ea" zone in the worl" beca!se of 7itro)en fertilizer. 8t:s an area of hypo<ic waters& where there is only 2 parts per million of "issol(e" o<y)en. 8ts area (aries in size& b!t can co(er !p to 20&000 sE!are .ilometers. 7itro)en o<i"e is also release" by the Haber*%osch process an" it is 300 times more heat trappin) than carbon "io<i"e. >ith 100 million tonnes of synthetic nitro)en*base" fertilizer pro"!ce" e(ery year& it means that the amo!nt of waste is incre"ible an" cripplin) to o!r earth. 0Simpson& Sarah. Scientific 1merica6 Many consi"er Haber to be a hero beca!se he helpe" sol(e the foo" crisis an" th!s sa(e" billions of li(es. >e can see that he helpe" the worl" )reatly beca!se he won the nobel prize for chemistry in 191# 0recei(e" it in 19196 for +impro(in) the stan"ar"s of a)ric!lt!re an" the well*bein) of man.in".-. %eca!se of his process& he sa(e" more li(es than anyone potentially in history. 1lso when the allies )aine" access to )as in >orl" >ar 8& he helpe" "e(elop )as mas.s for the German troops. 2(en tho!)h he sa(e" billions of li(es& some people say that it "oes not ma.e !p for the fact that he willin)ly helpe" .ill millions of people. J!rin) >>8 Germany )ot c!t off from the So!th 1merican )!ano shipments b!t Haber:s process with synthetic nitrate ma"e it possible for Germany to .eep man!fact!rin) e<plosi(es an" amm!nitions. 8n 1911 he became "irector of the @aiser >ilhelm instit!te for physical chemistry an" electrochemistry. He was in char)e of the war:s )as "e(ision an" "e(ise" chlorine )as. He was there on 1pril 22& 191C& when it was !se" in the first lar)e*scale military )as attac. in history when 1C0 tonnes of chlorine )as in %el)i!m ca!se" 1C&000 "eaths an" inj!ries. 0DHaber& Fritz.DHowStuffWor s6 1fterwar"s& instea" of bein) shoc.e" an" horrifie" at the application of his science an" the "e(astation that it ca!se"& he went to a "inner party to celebrate the s!ccess of his newly "e(elope" weapon. Clara 8mmerwahr& his wife an" a chemist herself& "eclare" she co!l"n:t li(e with the fact that their science was bein) !se" for s!ch inh!mane thin)s an" .ille" herself only a few "ays later on May 2n". Completely !nsha.en by his wife:s "eath& Haber left the "ay after her "eath to o(ersee another )as attac. a)ainst the 3!ssians. 0%owl& Chris %%C 7ews6 Haber also in(ente" M!star" Gas that was e(en more "ea"ly beca!se it was hea(y so it wo!l" sin. into the trenches of the enemy an" .ill all of the !ns!spectin) sol"iers ta.in) ref!)e there. 8t .ille" many people by ca!sin) them to "rown in their own fl!i"s that fille" !p their l!n)s. Haber was e(en char)e" with war crimes after the war. ,he ethics of his process are E!ite contro(ersial beca!se while it helps sa(e billions of li(es& its res!lts can also be !se" to .ill people. ,he nitro)en from his process is an essential for e<plosi(es an" also for chemical warfare& which was !se" in >>8 an" later in >>88. F!rthermore& he !nintentionally in(ente" Ky.lon 1& which when the form!la is sli)htly altere" becomes Ky.lon %& the )as !se" in concentration camps in >orl" >ar 88 to .ill the ews& incl!"in) some of HaberLs own e<ten"e" family members. 1lso& people belie(e now that the worl" wo!l" be a better place witho!t his process beca!se the worl" wo!l" not be so pop!late". Many "o not a)ree with this& sayin) that lettin) billions of people "ie wo!l" be e(en more wron) than what Haber "i" in the war.

8n"irectly& the Haber process has )reatly ai"e" the worl" economy by enablin) co!ntries that weren:t able to pro"!ce many crops to plant an" pro"!ce more than e(er. 1lso& many people who are ali(e to"ay as a res!lt of his process are wor.in) an" th!s increasin) the economy of each of their co!ntries. Howe(er& on the other si"e& many people in thir" worl" co!ntries ha(e more people ali(e to"ay an" therefore more mo!ths to fee". 1lso& more people "epen" on the )o(ernment& which "rains the economy of that sai" )o(ernment. So!th 1merica:s economy was also impacte" by his process& which eliminate" the clients for e<porters of )!ano an" saltpeter. 1ll in all there are a"(anta)es an" "isa"(anta)es to the )lobal economy from his process b!t the benefits are more si)nificant an" n!mero!s than the "isa"(anta)es. Jr Mar. S!tton from the Centre for 2colo)y 4 Hy"rolo)y says that to"ay& o!r society is still "epen"ent on a nitro)en*base" economy e(en after more than 100 years since Haber in(ente" his process. 0Centre for 2colo)y 4 Hy"rolo)y6 Science isn:t )oo" or ba"& it:s what it is an" it:s !p to !s to "eci"e how we are )oin) to !se it. Haber co!l"n:t ha(e .nown abo!t the en(ironmental impacts his process wo!l" ha(e on the worl" so we cannot hol" him acco!ntable for that. 1lso& the fact that his Ky.lon 1 was later !se" as the basis for the o"orless )as !se" in concentration camps was not his fa!lt. He only "isco(ere" the science. 8t was other h!man bein)s who !se" it wron)ly. His process was (ery effecti(e in sol(in) the problem of worl" h!n)er an" there is (irt!ally little waste pro"!ce" from the Haber*%osch process. >hile there are )reat en(ironmental impacts from his process& scientists are now wor.in) on ways to minimize the into<ication of water by ha(in) strict re)!lations. He sa(e" billions of li(es beca!se of his in(ention an" 8 mi)ht be ali(e to"ay beca!se of it. 2(en tho!)h he o(ersaw the .illin) of millions of people& the )oo" of his "isco(eries o(erpower the ba"& )reatly. 8n my opinion he was a hero& a mis)!i"e" hero who !se" his science for ba" only beca!se he "esperately wante" to be accepte". %ein) a ew ma"e him want to be accepte" an" a"mire" in the co!ntry that he lo(e" so m!ch an" he saw helpin) Germany as the only way to "o so. Scientists are often patriots who wor. to help their co!ntry. 7ow loo.in) bac. we see that Germany was the enemy an" by helpin) Germany we see him as e(il beca!se he was helpin) them. Howe(er he saw Germany as the )oo" people an" only wante" to help his co!ntry in any way possible. 8f that meant in(entin) a weapon to help )et ri" of Germany:s enemies& then he tho!)ht he was "oin) the ri)ht thin).

%8%M85G31'HNO Clar.& im. D,he Haber 'rocess for the Man!fact!re of 1mmonia.DThe Haber Process for the Manufacture of Ammonia. 7.p.& 1pr. 2013. >eb. 0$ Sept. 2013. D>elcome to the Centre for 2colo)y 4 Hy"rolo)y.D Haber !osch "## $ears of Ammonia S%nthesis& How a Sin'le Patent (han'ed the World. 7.p.& n.". >eb. 1/ Sept. 2013. %r!c.ner& Monica. D,he G!lf of Me<ico Jea" Kone.DThe Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone. Montana State ;ni(ersity& 9 5ct. 2012. >eb. 20 Sept. 2013. DClara 8mmerwahr.D Wi i)edia. >i.ime"ia Fo!n"ation& 0# !ly 2013. >eb. 2# Sept. 2013. %owl& Chris. DFritz HaberO ewish Chemist >hose >or. Me" to Ky.lon %.D !!( News. %%C& 0? 7o(. 2011. >eb. 29 Sept. 2013. D1mmonia an" the Haber 'rocess.D !!( News. %%C& n.". >eb. 2# Sept. 2013. ;.S. Geolo)ical S!r(ey& Mineral Commo"ity S!mmaries& an!ary 2011 DFritz Haber P %io)raphicalD. Nobel)ri*e+or'+ 7obel Me"ia 1% 2013. >eb. 2# Sep 2013. DH1%23 4 %5SCH * Haber*%osch 'rocess.D HA!,R - !.S(H / Haber/!osch Process. 7.p.& n.". >eb. 2$ Sept. 2013. Simpson& Sarah. D7itro)en FertilizerO 1)ric!lt!ral %rea.thro!)h**1n" 2n(ironmental %aneO Scientific 1merican.DNitro'en 0ertili*er& A'ricultural !rea throu'h//And ,n1ironmental !ane& Scientific American. 7.p.& n.". >eb. 29 Sept. 2013. DHaber& Fritz.DHowStuffWor s. 7.p.& n.". >eb. 2/ Sept. 2013. DFritz Haber.D,nc%clo)edia !ritannica. 7.p.& n.". >eb. 29 Sept. 2013.