• Catalysis is an extremely important branch of science, which is vital in our modern society. It is estimated that about 90% of all processed chemical compounds have, at some stage of their production, involved the use of a catalyst.
  • In general, catalytic reactions are more energy efficient and, at least in the case of highly selective reactions, lead to reduced waste and undesirable compounds. Undoubtedly a greater understanding of reaction mechanisms can lead to enhanced performance, even with well-established systems.
  • Pressure and temperature are both primary thermodynamic parameters in reaction kinetics, responsible for directing catalytic pathways and resulting yields and activities.
  • In many cases, paramagnetic metal centres or reaction intermediates are involved in catalytic cycles, so that EPR spectroscopy and the related hyperfine techniques are vital characterization tools to gain further insights into reaction mechanisms.