Introduction to Heterogeneous Catalysis
Heterogeneous catalysis is the catalysis that occurs at the interface between two phases. Usually the catalyst is a porous solid and the reactants are liquid or gas. In the heterogeneous catalytic reaction, the solid catalyst chemically adsorbs the reactant molecules, which activates the reactant molecules, reduces the activation energy of the reaction, and accelerates the reaction rate. The surface of the solid catalyst is non-uniform, and only some points chemically adsorb the reactant molecules, which is called the active center. The catalysis in industrial production mostly belongs to heterogeneous catalysis.