The Physical Basis for Heterogeneous Catalysis, 1974

Edited by Edmund Drauglis & Robert I. Jaffee — Plenum Press, New York, 1975. Hardcover symposium volume.

By the mid-1970s, heterogeneous catalysis had become one of the most consequential intersections of physics, chemistry, and industrial engineering on the planet. The 1973 oil crisis had made catalytic efficiency a matter of urgent economic and geopolitical importance — catalytic converters were entering automobiles, fluid catalytic cracking was refining the world's petroleum, and the Haber-Bosch process was feeding billions. Yet the fundamental surface physics governing why catalysts worked remained poorly understood. This 1975 Battelle Institute symposium volume, edited by Drauglis and Jaffee of the Battelle Columbus Laboratories, brought together leading surface physicists and chemists to bridge that gap — applying the newly maturing tools of surface science (LEED, Auger spectroscopy, field ion microscopy) to the practical problem of catalysis. It represents a pivotal moment when surface physics and industrial chemistry began speaking the same language.

Topics Covered

• Surface structure, defects, and active site theory
• Physical and chemical adsorption mechanisms
• Reaction kinetics at solid-gas and solid-liquid interfaces
• Catalyst characterization: LEED, Auger spectroscopy, and field ion microscopy
• Metal, oxide, and supported catalyst behavior
• Applications in petroleum refining, synthesis, and energy chemistry

A substantive reference for collectors of physical chemistry and surface science literature, catalysis researchers, and historians of the energy crisis era.