Irregularities in catalysis

Catalyst decomposition ( die-out ) during the catalytic reaction is a common phenomenon also distorting the kinetic measurements. If the decomposition reaction obeys a rate equation in a well-behaved manner, one can include the decomposition reaction in the kinetics, but usually one will prefer the use of a stable catalyst. Catalyst decomposition is an import issue in applied catalysis although it has received relatively little attention in literature as far as homogeneous catalysis is concerned [5], 

1 Benson, S. W. The Foundations of Chemical Kinetics, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1960. Masel, R. I. Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis, Wiley, New York, 2001. 

2 Atkins, R W. Physical Chemistry, Oxford University Press, 1994, 5th Ed. Chapters 25 and 26. 

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