Chapter 1 – Setting the Scene

Catalysis is of crucial importance for the chemical industry. The number of catalysts applied in industry is very large, and catalysts come in many different forms, from heterogeneous catalysts in the form of porous solids to homogeneous catalysts dissolved in the liquid reaction mixture to biological catalysts in the form of enzymes. Catalysis is a multidisciplinary field requiring efforts of specialists in different fields of chemistry, physics and biology to work together to achieve the goals set by mankind. There is a direct link between chemical kinetics and catalysis; according to the very definition of catalysis, it is a kinetic process. Despite the fundamental differences between elementary steps in catalytic process on surfaces with enzymes or homogeneous organometallic complexes, there are striking similarities in terms of chemical kinetics. A general overview of different types of catalysis is presented and discussed in this chapter. Basic definitions related to formal kinetics and acquisition of kinetic data are introduced. Different kinds of chemical reactors along with respective mass balances are presented. Finally, a relationship between kinetics and thermodynamics is discussed.