The Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths: The Role of Rare Earths in Catalysis

Among the numerous applications of the rare-earth elements, the field of catalysis accounts for a large number. Catalysis represents approximately 20 pe cent of the total market sales of rare earths worldwide. The oldest use of rare earths in catalysis deals with the structural and chemical stabilization of the zeolites for petroleum cracking applications. For a long time this has been an area of application for non-separated rare earths. Chapters devoted primarily to catalysis have been published in earlier volumes of the Handbook. In this volume several more are added. The first is an extension of the earlier chapter 43, on interactions at surfaces of metals and alloys, to reactions such as hydrogenation, methanation, ammonia synthesis, saturated hydrocarbon reactions, dehydrogenation of hydrogenated materials, hydrodesulfurization, and carbon monoxide oxidation. The second chapter reports on the wide variety of catalyzed reactions involving metals and alloys in the innovated form of metal overlayers or bimetallic compounds with some transition metals produced from ammonia solutions.
This is followed by a chapter on catalysis with mixed oxides usually having perovskite or perovskite-related structures. Then follows a comprehensive discussion on the background and current role of cerium oxide and associated materials for post-treatment of exhaust gases for pollution control. The next chapter considers the wide field of zeolite catalysts containing rare earths and the final chapter documents the use of the triflates as versatile catalysts in carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. 

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