The Haber process, which produces ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen, is one of the world’s most important industrial chemical reactions:

For this reaction, both ΔH° and ΔS° are negative, meaning that product formation is thermodynamically favored by low temperatures. Yet the industrial reaction is commonly carried out at temperatures between 400 and 600°C. These high temperatures require a significant input of energy; some estimates indicate that the industrial production of ammonia is responsible for 1% of the world’s total energy consumption. Suggest a reason why these high temperatures are employed.

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N₂(g) + 3 H₂(g) → 2 NH3(g)