Catalysis on supports

The polymer-supported catalysts are thus important conceptually in linking catalysis in solutions and catalysis on supports. The acid—base chemistry is fundamentally the same whether the catalytic groups are present in a solution or anchored to the support. The polymer-supported catalysts have replaced acid solutions in numerous processes because they minimise the corrosion, separation, and disposal problems posed by mineral acids. 

We might view clusters as the borderline between molecular catalysis and solid-state heterogeneous catalysis. Heterogeneous catalysis on supported metals is often not well understood because of the complexity of structures, which may contain corners, faces, edges, etc. Each of these sites may prove to be active sites for the variety of catalytic intermediates and, therefore, may influence selectivity and activity 21). 

Heiz U, Bullock EL (2004) Fundamental aspects of catalysis on supported metal clusters. J Mater Chem 14 564... 

Selective chemisorptions of hydrogen and carbon monoxide have also been used to determine the surface area of other Group VIII metals, especially by Yates et al. (6). Development of methods applicable to other metals is only a matter of ingenuity and from now on every investigation of catalysis on supported metals must include a determination of the surface area of the metal. 

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