Republic of the Philippines

Cagayan State University

College of Engineering
Carig Sur, Tuguegarao City

FINAL REQUIREMENT

CATALYST AND CATALYSIS

Title

INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY
Subject

GROUP 13
AGUSTIN, CHARMAINE B.
CUSIPAG, JONELOU A.
RANTE, FERLYN JADE R.

ENGR. MARIANNE GALVADORES

Professor
 CATALYST AND CATALYSIS

I. CATALYSTS AND CATALYSIS

CATALYSIS

 From the Greek kata-, “down,” and lyein, “loosen”

 Catalysis is the rate of a chemical reaction due to the participation of an additional
substance called catalyst. It is an action by catalyst which takes part in a chemical
reaction process and can alter the rate of reactions, and yet itself will return to its original
form without being consumed or destroyed at the end of the process. With a catalyst,
reaction occurs faster and with less energy.

CATALYST

 The workhorses of chemical transformations in the industry.

 Substances that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing
any permanent chemical change.

 A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by reducing

the activation energy, but which is left unchanged by the reaction. (Activation
energy: The minimum amount of energy required to initiate a reaction and is denoted
by Ea)

 Most catalysts are solids or liquids, but they may also be gases.

Catalyst: Mechanism
A catalyst permits a different energy pathway for a chemical reaction which has a lower
activation energy. The catalyst is not consumed in the chemical reaction.
 All catalysts work by lowering the activation energy for a reaction. This is the minimum
quantity of energy that reactants must possess to undergo a specific reaction. Most catalysts do
this by providing a simpler, less energy-intensive, means for reactant molecules to break bonds
and form temporary ones with the catalyst.

Catalyst: Characteristics

 Activity: The ability of a catalyst to increase the rate of a chemical reaction is called
activity. A catalyst may accelerate a reaction to as high as 1010 times.

 Selectivity: The ability of a catalyst to direct a reaction to give a particular product.

 Stability: The number of reactions performed by each active site before it decays or
become inactive.

 Small quantity: Only small quantity is needed for a reaction.

 Specific: One catalyst is need for specific reaction only.

 Physical properties may change during a reaction but it does not take part in the reaction.

 Catalyst doesn’t influence on the general stoichiometric coefficients.

 Catalysts decrease activation energy thus increases the chemical rate.

 Catalysts don’t influence on the equilibrium constant. They only reduce time of reaching
the equilibrium and increase the rate of forward and back reaction.

II. HOMOGENOUS CATALYSIS

 The process where the reactants are in the same phase (i.e., liquid or gas).

 The catalysts are present in the same phase as the substances which are going into
the reaction phase.

 In chemistry, a homogeneous catalysis is catalysis in a solution by a soluble catalyst.

Examples of Homogeneous Catalytic Reaction

Name of Process: Hydrolysis of Sugar

Catalyst: Hydrogen Ion
C12H22O11 + H2O --------> C6H12O6 + C6H12O6

 The hydrolysis of sugar is catalyzed by H+ ions furnished by sulfuric acid

Name of Process: Lead Chamber for Sulfuric Acids

Catalyst: Nitric Oxide
2SO2+O22SO2+O2 ------->NO 2SO32SO3

 In the lead chamber process during the manufacture of sulfuric acid, the presence of nitric
oxide gas helps in catalyzing the oxidation of sulfur dioxide.

Name of Process: Monsanto Process

Catalyst: Rhodium or Iodide

CH3OH + CO -------> CH3COOH

 Monsanto Process is an industrial method for the manufacture of acetic acid by catalytic
carbonylation of methanol.

III. HETEROGENEOUS CATALYSIS

 Heterogeneous catalysis involves the use of a catalyst (solid) from the reactants in a
different phase (gas or liquid).

 Typical heterogeneous catalysts are inorganic solids such as metals, oxides,

sulfides, and metal salts, but they may also be organic materials such as organic
hydro peroxides, ion exchangers, and enzymes.

 Also called Contact Catalysis (lasted for 100 years).

 Important in many areas of the chemical and energy industries.

MODE OF ACTION IN HETEROGENEOUS CATALYSIS

1. Adsorption
It’s where a reactant sticks on the surface of the catalyst (active site). The interaction
between the surface of a catalyst and the reactant molecules makes them more reactive
which causes the weakening of their bonds.

Active site – part of a surface which is particularly good at adsorbing things and
helping them to react.

2. Reaction
At this stage, both of the reactant molecules might be attached to the surface, or one
might be attached and hit by the other one moving freely in the gas or liquid.

3. Desorption
Simply means that the product molecules break away. This leaves the active site
available for a new set of molecules to attach to and react.

Examples of Heterogeneous Catalytic Reaction

Name of the Process: Reduction of nitriles

Catalysts: Raney Nickel and ammonia

Nitriles are reduced and the Phenethylamine was synthesize with the presence of Raney
nickel and ammonia as a catalyst.

Name of the Process: Haber - Bosch process

Catalysts: Iron oxides on alumina

Haber-Bosch is an artificial nitrogen fixation process and is the main industrial procedure
for the production of ammonia which is named after its inventors, German chemists Fritz Haber
and Carl Bosch.
Name of the Process: Hydrogen Production by Steam Reforming
Catalysts: Nickel or K2O

Methane reacts with steam over a nickel or K2O (catalyst). The resulting gas is mostly
hydrogen but also contains carbon dioxide.

Name of the Process: Hydrogen Cyanide Synthesis (Andrussow Oxidation)

Catalysts: Pt-Rh

The Andrussow process is an industrial process for the production of hydrogen

cyanide from methane and ammonia in the presence of platinum-rhodium catalyst.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOMOGENEOUS CATALYSIS AND HETEROGENEOUS

CATALYSIS

Homogeneous catalysis Heterogeneous catalysis

These types of catalysts usually are

These are found in liquid phase, gas phase
common in either liquid phase or gas
and solid phase
phase

Operative temperature for homogeneous Operative temperature for heterogeneous

catalysis is generally low except only catalysis is harsh as compared to
when under high pressure homogeneous process

As the reactants and catalysts are in same The heterogeneous catalysis process
phase the diffusion in homogeneous diffusivity is low as the absorbance
catalysis process is very high surface is low

The heat transfer in homogeneous The heat transfer is relatively low as

catalysis is very high as all the molecules compared to homogeneous catalysis as the
of reactants and catalysts are in same reactant molecules and catalysts are in
 phase different phase

The active site is not very well defined as

The active site is very well defined different phase sites might have different
catalytic properties for the same particle

Recycling methods are not very cost

These catalysts although require
effective as it’s a long drawn process and
reactivating treatment process but still
as it’s a difficult treatment method for
quite cost effective
spent catalysts

The modification of heterogeneous

Modification of homogenous catalysts is catalysts is relatively difficult as the
very easy as it depends upon the tuning of controlling methods of particle site as well
electronic and steric properties on metal as the active size at molecular level is
really difficult

Reaction mechanism is difficult to fins as

Reaction mechanism easier to find as
the techniques utilised as the product is
varied techniques are available
scrutinised and not the catalysts

Selectivity of homogeneous catalysts are Selectivity of heterogeneous catalysts is

very high low

IV. APPLICATION AND MECHANISM

 Widespread application of catalyst enables important reactions to be carried out

efficiently in different industries.

GENERAL APPLICATIONS

Environmental Applications
 Catalyst impacts the environment by increasing the efficiency of industrial
processes, but catalyst also plays a direct role in the environment which includes
pollution control and reduction.
Specific Applications

1. Three Way Catalytic Converters

Catalytic converter (or cat-con) ,found in car’s exhaust system reduce emissions of
harmful gases (CO, VOC’s, nitrogen oxides) that are result of the combustion of fuel in
 vehicle engines. It is called a catalytic converter because it converts CO into ubiquitous CO2
and Nitrogen oxides into N2 and O2 through chemical reaction on a solid catalyst.

Catalyst: Solid Platinum (Pt) or Palladium (Pd) surface unto which reactants from the
gaseous phase adsorb and react, Rhodium (Rh)
The process of reaction is assisted by a catalyst that is in a phase different from the
reactants, so it is heterogeneous catalysis.
Figure: Catalytic Converter- Deconstructed

Main Components are two honeycomb-like monoliths covered with a thin layer of Pt/Rh
(first monolith) and Pd/Rh (second monolith). Their role is to increase the exposed surface area
covered by the catalyst layer. There are two pipes coming in an out in cat-cons. One of them is
Input pipe where it is connected to the engine and brings in hot, polluted fumes from the
engine’s cylinders (where the fuel burns and produces power); the second pipe is output pipe
connected to the tailpipe. Another component is wash coat which is a carrier for the catalytic
materials over a large surface area. Aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide or a
mixture of silica and alumina can be used.
Inside the converter, the gases flow through a honeycomb structure made from a ceramic
and coated with the catalysts.
Catalyst Role:

 One of them tackles Nitrogen oxide pollution using a chemical reaction called reduction.
This breaks up nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and oxygen gases (which are harmless). The
catalyst for this reaction is Rhodium (Rh)
  The other catalyst works by an opposite chemical process called oxidation. And turns
carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. Another oxidation reaction turns unburned
hydrocarbons in the exhaust into carbon dioxide and water. The catalyst for these
reactions are Platinum (Pt) and Palladium (Pd)

In effect, three different chemical reactions are going on at the same time, that’s why it is
called three-way catalytic converters. After the catalyst has done its job, what emerge from
the exhaust are mostly nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water (in the form of steam).

Food Processing
 One of the most obvious applications of catalysis is the hydrogenation (reaction
with hydrogen gas) of fats using Nickel catalyst to produce margarines.

Energy Processing
 Petroleum refining makes intensive use of catalysis for alkylation, catalytic
cracking (breaking long-chain hydrocarbons into smaller pieces), naphtha
reforming and steam reforming (conversion of hydrocarbons into synthetic gas).

Catalysis in Chemical Industry

Catalyst accelerates reactions and thus enable industrially important reactions to be
carried out efficiently under practically attainable conditions. Catalytic routes can be designed
such that raw materials are used efficiently and waste production is minimized. The chemical
industry is largely based upon catalysis. Roughly 85-90 % of all products are made in catalytic
process.
Industrial processes that rely on Catalysis

Reaction Catalyst
Ammonia Synthesis Fe
Ammonia Oxidation to NO and HNO3 Pt-Rh
Hydrogenation of Vegetable oils Ni
Sulfuric Acid V2O5
V. REFERENCES

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/catalytic convrters.html

http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~edudev/LabTutorials/CourseTutorials?Tutoria
ls/AirQuality/CatalyticConverter.html

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogeneous_catalysis
Importance of catalysis (pdf)
Catalyst and catalysis 3 (pdf)
Bhadukmogealy00 (pdf)