Many important industrial chemical processes rely heavily on catalysis and so researchers are always on the lookout for alternative catalytic materials that may improve existing processes or lead to new ones. Families of alternative catalytic materials currently being investigated include the carbides, nitrides and phosphides as well as amorphous boron catalysts. The addition of carbon, nitrogen or phosphorous to transition metals and the creation of boron-transition metal alloys leads to catalytic materials that have interesting properties, with applications in a range of different reactions, including electrocatalysis. This book provides a comprehensive account of the preparation, characterisation and application of these catalytic materials. It is an important reference for researchers and industrialists working in heterogeneous catalysis and materials chemistry.

Over the last several years it has become apparent to most researchers that interdisciplinary research is the key to success in the sciences’ future. The present book exemplifies such interdisciplinary work. Thus, some new derivatives have been prepared by chemists and consecutively analyzed by physicists in order to better understand their physical-chemical properties for future tests to be performed by pharmacists. The book consists of an introductory section and other eight chapters. First, the fundamentals of infrared, Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and those of the theoretical methods employed for the vibrational prediction modes are highlighted. The SERS investigations illustrated in the following chapters are focused on different kinds of drugs: tranquilizers and sedatives, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, drugs with anti-bacterial properties, etc. Since there is an increased interest in designing highly effective and controllable SERS-active substrates, a few newly developed substrates that could contribute to a deeper understanding and knowledge of the adsorption behavior of various types of molecules of pharmaceutical and medical interest are also presented.

Document from the year 2014 in the subject Engineering - Chemical Engineering, Nirma University (Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat), course: Chemical Engineering, language: English, abstract: Catalysis has made a rapid progress and there can be observed many new applications of catalysts. Heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts used commercially are chemically and physically complex, sophisticated materials and because of the chemical and physical complexity of catalysts, catalyst research and development is highly multidisciplinary field which require knowledge of chemistry, chemical engineering, material science and physics. In order to design, develop and prepare new catalysts, a process which requires detailed knowledge of catalyst material, catalyst properties and art/science of catalyst preparation. The main objective of this book is to present an overview on catalyst materials and properties so that both the student and the experienced practitioner can understand the concept of catalyst materials and properties.

This book looks at new ways of tackling the problem of separating reaction products from homogeneous catalytic solutions. The new processes involve low leaching supported catalysts, soluble supports such as polymers and dendrimers and unusual solvents such as water, fluorinated organics, ionic liquids and supercritical fluids. The advantages of the different possibilities are discussed alongside suggestions for further research that will be required for commercialisation. Unlike other books, in addition to the chemistry involved, the book looks at the process design that would be required to bring the new approaches to fruition. Comparisons are given with existing processes that have already been successfully applied and examples are given where these approaches are not suitable. The book includes: - New processes for the separation of products from solutions containing homogeneous catalysts - Catalysts on insoluble or soluble supports – fixed bed catalysts - continuous flow or ultrafiltration - Biphasic systems: water - organic, fluorous - organic, ionic liquid – organic, supercritical fluids (monophasic or biphasic with water, organic or ionic liquid) - Comparisons with current processes involving atmospheric or low temperature distillation - Consideration of Chemistry and Process Design - Advantages and disadvantages of each process exposed - Consideration of what else is need for commercialisation