Ammonia is widely used as a fertilizer and explosives. The textile industry uses ammonia in the production of synthetic fibers. Ammonia water serves as a cleaning fluid and can be used to restore fabrics that have been stained by acids. Ammonia is also vital in the manufacture of many chemicals, plastics, vitamins, and drugs.

Fritz Haber, along with Carl Bosch, invented a large-scale catalytic synthesis of ammonia from elemental hydrogen and nitrogen gas, reactants which are abundant and inexpensive. The process, known as the Haber-Bosch Process [local], uses high temperature (around 500° Celsius), high pressure (approximately 3000 psi), and an iron catalyst.

Haber process.