History of catalysis

In spite of the long history of catalysis application in chemical industry over 150 years, catalysis is largely an empirical science. The difficulty of a... 

The presence of a three-way catalyst is mandatory for every car produced in the United States and Europe since 1981 and 1993, respectively. It is the most massive and one of the most successful stories in the history of catalysis. 

Currently, low-temperature CO oxidation over Au catalysts is practically important in connection with air quality control (CO removal from air) and the purification of hydrogen produced by steam reforming of methanol or hydrocarbons for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (CO removal from H2). Moreover, reaction mechanisms for CO oxidation have been studied most extensively and intensively throughout the history of catalysis research. Many reviews [4,19-28] and highlight articles [12, 29, 30] have been published on CO oxidation over catalysts. This chapter summarizes of the state of art of low temperature CO oxidation in air and in H2 over supported Au NPs. The objective is also to overview of mechanisms of CO oxidation catalyzed by Au. 

E. E. Donath History of Catalysis in Coal Liquefac-tioa - G. K Boreskov Catalytic Activation of Dioxygen. - M. A. Wannice Catalytic Activation of Carbon Monoxide on Metal Surfaces. - S.R. Morrison Chemisorption on Nonmetallic Surfaces. - Z. Knor Chemisorption of Dihydrogen. - P.N.lfylander Catalytic Processes in Organic Conversions. 

The discussion of the history of catalysis in this chapter has been limited to the major events, so many interesting developments could not be mentioned. Moreover, the selection of topics has been subject to a personal bias. A more comprehensive overview is given in Table 1.2 of the development of industrial catalytic processes. The list is impressive and it is also clear that catalysis remains a very fascinating area. 

E.E. Donath, History of Catalysis in Coal Liquefaction, in J.R. Anderson and M. Boudart (Editors), Catalysis, Science and Technology, Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1982, Vol. 3, pp. 1-38. 

A.J.B. Robertson, The Early History of Catalysis, Platinum Metals Review, 19(2) (1975) 64-69. 

In the history of catalysis, the name of Alwin Mittasch is written in indelible letters. He was a great chemist and a great man. 

---