Breaking the H_2 Marriage and Reuniting the Couple

摘要

Molecular hydrogen (H_2) is not only a valuable future fuel; it is widely used today in chemical reactions, such as the addition of H_2 to organic compounds. These "hydrogenation" processes are among the largest-volume human-made chemical reactions: All crude oil is treated with H_2, and 10~(10) tons of ammonia fertilizer are produced annually via catalytic hydrogenation. Any small improvement in catalyst efficiency, cost, or availability would help to cut the cost of these important processes.