Abstract

Catalysis remains a central tenet in the development of sustainable chemical transformations. Interestingly, > 90% of all chemical products are synthesized using at least one catalytic step.

TIMOTHY NOËL

THE IMPORTANCE OF CATALYSIS IN MODERN CHEMICAL PRODUCTION

Catalysis remains a central tenet in the development of sustainable chemical transformations. Interestingly, > 90% of all chemical products are synthesized using at least one catalytic step. Hence, a lot of research, both in industry and academia, is devoted to develop new catalysts which display increased activity and selectivity or can effect new and previously elusive transformations. In this article, a summary is compiled of an interview on the importance of catalysis with experts from industry.

Heterogeneous catalysis provides considerable advantages with regard to straightforward catalyst/product separation and the potential to recycle and reuse the catalyst. Many of these heterogeneous catalysts rely on precious platinum group metals and are consequently very expensive. A way to reduce the cost of these catalyst is by reducing its size. Nano-sized metal particles (or nanoparticles) are often immobilized on supports such as carbon or alumina. These nanoparticles exhibit different material properties compared to the corresponding bulk materials, in ...