The oxidation of carbon monoxide on a platinum catalyst at atmospheric pressure

Abstract

The oxidation of carbon monoxide on a platinum catalyst at atmospheric pressure has been studied. Considerable reactant depletion is observed at the gas–catalyst interface. The kinetic models proposed take into account this feature and include both Langmuir–Hinshelwood and Eley–Rideal pathways. An important property of these models is that they predict the reaction ‘switches’ that occur, a feature which is thought necessary if the oscillatory nature of the oxidation reaction induced by the presence of catalytic inhibitors is to be explained.