Use of Nickel Catalysis

There is an overwhelming use of catalysts - a substance that changes the rate of reaction without being consumed by the reaction itself- in various industrial processes. According to certain estimates [cite-wiki10] around 90% of all “commercially produced chemical products involve catalysts at some stage in the process of their manufacture.” Chemical products worth $900 billion were generated by catalytic processes worldwide in 2005 [cite – wiki11]. The close affiliation of the catalysts and the process of catalysis to a variety of industries and the proximity of these industries with consumers raise questions regarding the application of catalysts and their effects on products.

The economic benefits of catalysts become obvious when theoretical implications of the catalysis process are understood. Manufacturing of chemical products require some kind of reaction between two reactants. The reactions are affected by a factor known as activation energy (minimum level of energy [joules] to be provided for reactants to react). Use of catalysts, in these reactions, provides an area for the reactants to react; this area helps to affect the rate at which the reaction takes place. It may also affect the Activation Energy [cite]. Catalysts provide industry with an ability to manipulate the reactions, and since the main aim of industry is associated with reducing the cost per unit of the product – use of a catalyst is aimed towards manipulating the rate of reaction so that for less reactants or energy cheaper products can be produced. However, changes or side effects in the use of catalyst usage and the effects of this on the quality of the products must be considered.

The food industry makes excessive use of catalysts; one such applica...

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...garines – that are also passed onto the consumers – the health implications are present. This raises severe ethical questions such as how much the progress of catalysts (scientific discovery) is improving the standard of lives of consumers –who are the end users of the entire scientific discovery. It also raises question regarding the political will to regulate better industries which must be in a position of reasonability when using technologies.

In conclusion it can be stated that without the use of Nickel Catalysis the industrial viability of Hydrogenation would be under question. Without hydrogenation the food industry would not be able to expand in such a large commercial sense and provide the several conveniences it does to consumers.

Works Cited

"Recognizing the Best in Innovation: Breakthrough Catalyst". R&D Magazine, September 2005, pg 20.