The processes that turn chemistry into industry
Haber-Bosch, chlor-alkali electrolysis, nuclear fission, photovoltaics: the key processes that convert periodic-table elements into goods, energy and global commodities.
A process is more than a single reaction. It is a chain of physical and chemical transformations engineered to produce at scale, reproducibly and economically. Each process below has its history, its inventors, a key equation and specific operating conditions.
Haber-Bosch process
Industrial synthesis of ammonia (NH₃) from atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen under high pressure with an iron catalyst. Without it, only about 4 billion humans could be fed.
Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
The most widely deployed nuclear reactor design in the world (~70 % of the fleet). Primary-loop water, pressurized to 155 bar to stay liquid at 320 °C, carries fission heat from UO₂ fuel to a steam generator that feeds the turbine.