Precious metals, also known as noble metals, are metals which are inactive toward chemical reaction and are chemically highly stable. Gold, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and silver are some of the examples of precious metals. Precious metal catalysts are those which consist of highly dispersed nano-scale precious metal particles supported on a high surface area such as carbon, silica and alumina, according to a report by Transparency Market Research.
These catalysts have several applications in a variety of industries such as refinery, petrochemicals, polymer, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automotive and environmental. Each precious metal catalyst has unique characteristics. These catalysts are primarily used for organic synthesis reactions.
The precious metal catalysts offer a wide variety of advantages. They are highly stable and do not easily form oxides by oxidation. They also do not readily dissolve in acid or alkaline solution. The melting point of precious metals is higher than that of base metals. The selection of precious metals is a crucial factor that needs to be considered while deciding on their application. For example, palladium or carbon can be used for hydrogenation of maleic acid in water, which is in acidic condition. However, nickel catalyst cannot be used for the same reaction, since nickel undergoes leaching. Precious metal catalysts have high thermal stability, as a result of which they find numerous applications in the automotive field.
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