Examples
Many examples exist, the table emphasizes large-scale industrial processes, although diverse examples are known.
| Process | Reactants, product(s) | Catalyst | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sulfuric acid synthesis (Contact process) | SO2 + O2, SO3 | vanadium oxides | hydration of SO3 gives H2SO4 |
| Ammonia synthesis (Haber-Bosch process) | N2 + H2, NH3 | iron oxides on alumina | consumes 1% of world's industrial energy budget |
| Nitric acid synthesis (Ostwald process) | NH3 + O2, HNO3 | unsupported Pt-Rh gauze | direct routes from N2 are uneconomical |
| Hydrogen production by Steam reforming | CH4 + H2O, H2 + CO2 | Nickel or K2O | Greener routes to H2 by water splitting actively sought |
| Ethylene oxide synthesis | C2H4 + O2, C2H4O | silver on alumina, with many promotors | poorly applicable to other alkenes |
| Hydrogen cyanide synthesis (Andrussov oxidation) | NH3 + O2 + CH4, HCN | Pt-Rh | Related ammoxidation process converts hydrocarbons to nitriles |
| Olefin polymerization Ziegler-Natta polymerization | propylene, polypropylene | TiCl3 on MgCl2 | many variations exist, including some homogeneous examples |
| Desulfurization of petroleum (hydrodesulfurization) | H2 + R2S (idealized organosulfur impurity), RH + H2S | Mo-Co on alumina | produces low-sulfur hydrocarbons, sulfur recovered via the Claus process |
Read more about this topic: Heterogeneous Catalysis
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