Using density functional calculations we show that there is an essentially linear relationship between the activation energy for N-2 dissociation and the binding energy of atomic nitrogen on a range of transition metal surfaces. This relation, known as the Bronsted-Evans-Polanyi relation, is further shown to depend on the structure of the active site. The consequences of the Bronsted-Evans-Polanyi relation in terms of the kinetics of the ammonia synthesis process under industrial conditions are discussed, and it is shown that the relation leads to a volcano-type dependence of the catalytic activity on the nitrogen heat of adsorption. The results show that density functional calculations can predict the relative catalytic activity of different transition metals. (C) 2001 Academic Press.