Hydrogen from water gas (Bosch Process) In the Bosch process, large quantities of hydrogen are produced from cheap raw materials such as water and coke. When steam is passed over red hot coke (carbon) at a temperature of about 12000 C, a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen is produced. Excess steam is then mixed with the water gas [carbon dioxide and hydrogen] and passed over a catalyst which could either be iron oxide or chromium oxide, at a temperature of about 4500 C. The resultant effect is that the carbon dioxide in the water gas is converted to carbon monoxide with a further yield of hydrogen. The first reaction, which is the production of water gas is endothermic, while the second reaction which is the reduction of steam to hydrogen by carbondi oxide, is exothermic. The carbon monooxide is then removed from the mixture by dissolving it in water under pressure of 30 atmospheres or in other solvents such as caustic soda solution. Any unreacted carbon dioxide is absorbed in ammoniacal solution of copper ethanoate.