Metal halides as complexing agents in reversible chemical reactions

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF AMMONIA FROM NITROGEN AND HYDROGEN GAS COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING STEPS IN COMBINATION: (A) FLOWING A GAS STREAM COMPRISING NITROGEN AND HYDROGEN UPWARDLY THROUGH A REACTION ZONE AT AMMONIA SYNTHESIS CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, SAID REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A BED OF AMMONIA SYNTHESIS CATALYST WHICH CATALYST IS RELATIVELY CHEMICALLY INERT TO A REVERSIBLE AMMONIA COMPLEX FORMING MOLTEN METAL HALIDE AT SAID SYNTHESIS CONDITIONS, WHEREIN SAID GAS STREAM CONTACTS SAID CATALYST BED THEREBY FORMING PRODUCT AMMONIA; (B) FLOWING A STREAM OF A REVERSIBLE AMMONIA COMPLEX FORMING MOLTEN METAL HALIDE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE SO THAT SAID RISING GAS STREAM AND SAID DESCENDING MOLTEN METAL HALIDE STREAM ARE IN INTIMATE COUNTERCURRENT CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER, WHEREBY SAID PRODUCT AMMONIA IS REMOVED FROM SAID GAS STREAM AS A MOLTEN METAL HALIDEAMMONIA COMPLEX THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCING THE AMMONIA PARTIAL PRESSURE IN SAID GAS STREAM THUS DRIVING THE SYNTHESIS REACTION IN THE DIRECTION OF FORMING MORE PRODUCT AMMONIA.