Platinum Metals Review - Volume 5, Issue 4, 1961

The performance of charcoal-based catalysts cannot be described simply in terms of their mesh size and noble metal content, as many factors can cause wide variations in activity, selectivity and resistance to poisoning. It is possible, however, by close collaboration between catalyst manufacturer and user, and by suitable choice of base and production technique, to provide a range of such catalysts tailored to meet the needs of a particular industrial reaction.

This paper reviews the experimental techniques used in the elucidation of the thermodynamics of the volatile oxides of the platinum metals in the temperature range 1200 to 1800°C. It is shown how the molecular formulae of the gases were obtained, and free energy equations of the two- term type are given for PtO2, RhO2, IrO3, RuO3 and OsO3. At other temperatures oxides of different compositions may predominate, and approximate methods for calculating the thermodynamics of these from the present data are given.