Raschig process

This article is about the process for producing hydrazine. For the process for producing hydroxylamine, see Raschig hydroxylamine synthesis.

The Raschig process is a method for the industrial production of hydrazine by the oxidation of ammonia with hypochlorite. It was first described by German chemist Friedrich Raschig in 1907, and was the major process for producing hydrazine through most of the twentieth century. It was also employed on a laboratory scale before hydrazine compounds became widely commercially available. The normal Raschig process produces hydrazine hydrate, but it can be modified (in the Raschig–Olin process) to produce anhydrous hydrazine if necessary. The Bayer hydrazine process is another modification of the Raschig process.