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Article: Catalysing business.(benefits of catalysts to industry)
- Article from:
- Chemistry and Industry
- Article date:
- October 4, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Society of Chemical Industry. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Catalysis is a remarkable phenomenon. Quite apart from the scientific reality, the financial and environmental benefits of harnessing its powers are very impressive
Catalysts, in the definition developed by Berzelius and others in the last century, are materials that change the rate of attainment of chemical equilibrium without themselves being changed or consumed in the process. Some catalysts can achieve astonishing activities, with very small quantities of catalyst converting thousands or millions of times their own weight of chemicals. Equally significant, however, is their selectivity - usually thought of as a catalyst accelerating one of a number of ...