 |
| John Gilbertson, David Tyler and Nate Szymczak have made great progress in nitrogen production |
University of Oregon chemists have produced ammonia from nitrogen at room temperature under normal atmospheric pressure, marking a significant step toward achieving one of chemistry’s coveted goals.
The method uses a simple compound of iron and hydrogen as the electron source in the “fixing” reaction. Devised by University of Oregon chemistry professor David Tyler and two graduate students, John Gilbertson and Nate Szymczak, the process was carried out in ether solutions. However, all steps but one also have been shown to work in water. “The conversion of nitrogen to ammonia in water … is the holy grail of nitrogen fixation,” Tyler said.
When nitrogen is converted to ammonia, it becomes available as a nitrogen source for plant growth—and as such is the fertilizer that drives the world’s food supply.
Although it could be decades before it becomes cost-effective, Tyler’s method is “simpler than any other solution put forward to date,” he said. “Other procedures involve … exotic electron sources or they require elevated temperatures.”
Gilbertson and Szymczak are participants in the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program at the UO, funded by the NSF since 2000.
|
