Chemical Kinetics A Practical Guide

Any chemical conversion requires time. The time-dependent development of a reaction, the reaction rate r, is expressed by its kinetics, which describes the correlation of r and the determining factors, such as concentration, pressure, temperature, diffusion, catalyst, mass and heat transfer, and so forth. 

The reaction rate determines the application potential and/or the need of improvement to accelerate the conversion. For example, the production of biogas via fermentation of biomass and the onboard production of H2 via steam reforming of CH3OH require different times for a certain degree of conversion. However, for the biogas production the time is of less importance, as one can simply wait and/or increase the size of the fermentation vessel. This is obviously not possible for the onboard production of H2 in a vehicle. 

Therefore, it is important to determine a reaction rate. Moreover, it is important to know how to determine it because the reaction rate is influenced by several factors, hampering the comparison of reactions, reactors and catalysts. The next sections will shortly introduce the basic concepts for the description of the kinetics of a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction and their practical applications followed by three real-research examples demonstrating the application and possible problems in detail. 

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I.V. Berezin and A. A. Klyosov, A Practical Guide for Chemical Enzyme Kinetics, Moscow University, Moscow, 1976 (in Russian). 

This chemical kinetics book blends physical theory, phenomenology and empiricism to provide a guide to the experimental practice and interpretation of reaction kinetics in solution. It is suitable for courses in chemical kinetics at the graduate and advanced undergraduate levels. This book A/ill appeal to students in physical organic chemistry, physical inorganic chemistry, biophysical chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry and vi/ater chemistry—all fields concerned with the rates of chemical reactions in the solution phase. 

A comprehensive monograph (Saltelli et al. 2000) and a textbook (Saltelli et al. 2008) were recently published about the methods of sensitivity analysis as well as practical guide to their application (Saltelh et al. 2004, 2008). In chemical kinetics, apphcations of sensitivity analysis were discussed in several reviews (Rabitz et al. 1983 Turanyi 1990 Tomlin et al. 1997 Saltelh et al. 2005, 2012 Tomlin 2013 Tomlin and Tur yi 2013). Apphcations of sensitivity analysis in systems biology were reviewed by Zi (2011), Charzynska et al. (2012) and Puszynski et al. (2012). 

We have included in this volume two chapters specifically related to society s kinetic system. We have asked James Wei of the University of Delaware, recent Chairman of the consultant panel on Catalyst Systems for the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Motor Vehicle Emissions, to illustrate key problems and bridges between the catalytic science and the practical objectives of minimizing automobile exhaust emissions. We have also asked for a portrayal of the hard economic facts that constrain and guide what properties in a catalyst are useful to the catalytic practitioner. For this we have turned to Duncan S. Davies, General Manager of Research and Development, and John Dewing, Research Specialist in Heterogeneous Catalysts, both from Imperial Chemical Industries Limited. 

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