Trends in science: heterogeneous catalysis

Catalysis is of great academic interest and is extremely important in industry and for society in general. Catalysts have the remarkable property of facilitating a chemical reaction repeatedly without being consumed. The classical heterogeneous catalyst contains nanoscale metal particles dispersed on a solid support the function of which is that of selectively accelerating the reaction performance. This article deals with gold, one of the most attractive catalysts, and describes how ordinarily inert gold becomes an exceptional catalyst when shrung to nanoparticle size. Whatever its industrial future, gold' s uncanny knack for catalysis already provides a fascinating scientific puzzle.