Hunting for the hidden chemistry in solid catalysts

Abstract

Bert M. Weckhuysen has a dream. Someday he’d like to produce a movie showing what happens on a catalytic solid at a submolecular level. That dream remains out of reach, he admits. But after more than 20 years of work on the analytical techniques required to make a movie of a solid catalyst in action, Weckhuysen, a chemistry professor at Utrecht University, thinks its time will come. He’s not alone in the quest. Simon R. Bare has spent the past 30 years developing ways to uncover hidden details of commercial solid catalysts as an industry scientist—first at Dow and then at UOP, an oil-refining technology company. He is now continuing that work at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, where he serves as codirector of the chemistry and catalysis division. Bare, Weckhuysen, and other catalysis aficionados gathered in Denver last month at the North American Catalysis Society meeting to discuss some of