This teaching aims (1) at providing future chemists a global and unified vision of catalysis, describing and comparing elementary processes in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, and (2) at illustrating the importance of the two categories of catalysis at the industrial level.
Main themes
Generalities on catalysis.
Recall of the basic principle of catalysis. Homogeneous, heterogeneous catalysis and heterogenisation of homogeneous catalysis. Description and comparison of elementary processes in these two categories of catalysis.
Part I: homogeneous catalysis
1. Basic principles of homogeneous catalysis.
- Recall of basics in organometallic chemistry (16-18 electron rule, classification of ligands, donation and retrodonation).
- Elementary reactions: ligand substitution, oxidative addition, reductive elimination, insertion, oxidative coupling.
- Ancillary ligands: mono and di-phosphines case, cone angles, diaminocarbenes ligands.
- Principle of catalysis by phase transfer.
2. Some examples of important industrial processes using homogeneous catalysis.
Examples: alkene hydrocyanation (nylon channel), alkene hydroformylation, acid acetic synthesis, oxidation processes, biphasic processes.
Part II: heterogeneous catalysis
1. Basic principles of heterogeneous catalysis.
2. Review of principal kinetic models of heterogeneous catalysis (Langmuir-Hinshelwood, Eley-Rideal, Mars -van Krevelen)
3. Illustrations in the following areas: petrochemistry (hydrotreatment, catalytic craking, oxidation and ammoxidation of propene, epoxidation of ethylene, oxidation of butane in maleic anhydride, use of zeolites, ), environment (DeNOx, exhaust gases ) and basic inorganic chemistry synthesis (ammonia, sulphuric acid, ).
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)
The course could be partly or totally delivered by an invited lecturer.