Hydrogen Effects in Metal Catalysts

The interaction of hydrogen with metals is the cause or basis of a host of phenomena ranging from the chemisorption of hydrogen on the surface, its dissolution in the metal, catalytic reactions involving hydrogen as a reactant or as an astoichiometric component, etc., to the formation of metal hydrides. Hydrogen -induced corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement of steel are well known in chemical process industry and metallurgy. Catalytic reactions on metal or metal-oxide catalysts in the presence of hydrogen, often under pressure, are some of the major chemical, petroleum, and petrochemical processes of today, e.g., ammonia, methanol, Fischer-Tropsch, Oxo and other syntheses, hydrogenation of oils and fats, catalytic reforming, hydrode-sulfurization/hydrotreating, hydrocracking, and hydrogenation/ dehydrogenation.