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Chemistry · Class 10 · Chapter 16: Industrial Chemistry

8 min

Key points

Industrial chemistry deals with the large-scale production of chemicals and materials for commercial purposes
Haber process is used for the manufacture of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen at 450°C, 200-300 atm pressure using iron catalyst
Contact process produces sulfuric acid in three stages: burning sulfur, converting SO₂ to SO₃, and absorption in concentrated H₂SO₄
Fractional distillation of petroleum separates crude oil into different fractions based on their boiling points
Soap is manufactured by saponification of fats and oils with sodium hydroxide
Fertilizers like urea, ammonium sulfate, and superphosphate are produced industrially to increase crop yield
Cement manufacturing involves heating limestone and clay at 1500°C in rotary kilns
Pakistan has major industrial units in Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad for chemical production
Environmental pollution from industries can be controlled by proper waste treatment and emission controls

Definitions

Industrial Chemistry: The branch of chemistry that deals with the large-scale production of chemicals and chemical products for commercial purposes using economical methods
Haber Process: The industrial process for the manufacture of ammonia by combining nitrogen and hydrogen gases at high temperature (450°C), high pressure (200-300 atm) in the presence of iron catalyst
Contact Process: The industrial method for the manufacture of sulfuric acid involving the catalytic oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide using vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) as catalyst
Saponification: The chemical reaction between fats or oils and sodium hydroxide to produce soap and glycerol
Fractional Distillation: The process of separating crude oil into different fractions based on their different boiling points in a fractionating tower

Worked example

Describe the contact process for manufacturing sulphuric acid. Write balanced chemical equations for each step. (8 marks)

Contact process is the industrial method for manufacturing sulphuric acid using vanadium pentoxide as catalyst. Raw materials are sulphur, air and water. The process involves: (1) S + O₂ → SO₂, (2) 2SO₂ + O₂ ⇌ 2SO₃ at 450°C with V₂O₅ catalyst, (3) SO₃ + H₂SO₄ → H₂S₂O₇, (4) H₂S₂O₇ + H₂O → 2H₂SO₄

Common mistakes

Students confuse the conditions of Haber process with Contact process
Writing wrong catalyst for Contact process (writing iron instead of V₂O₅)
Forgetting to mention that Haber process is reversible reaction
Not writing the three stages of Contact process in proper sequence
Mixing up temperature and pressure conditions for different industrial processes

Quick recap

Industrial chemistry deals with large-scale manufacturing of chemicals for economic purposes. Key processes include contact process for H₂SO₄, Haber process for NH₃, and soap manufacturing by saponification. Industrial methods differ from laboratory methods in scale, cost-effectiveness, and continuous production. Pakistan's chemical industry includes fertilizers, textiles, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals.

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