Page 10 - Principles of Catalyst Development
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PREFACE
If this book sounds like "all you ever wanted to know about catalysis and
were afraid to ask," then perhaps it is. It is written unashamedly for the
newcomer to catalysis, the student, process engineer, research chemist,
salesman, and manager. The philosophy of the book is based on a highly
successful industrial short course, "Applications of Heterogeneous Cataly-
~is," taught at the University of Houston for over 17 years. My experience
with this course tells me that there is a constant flow of scientists and
engineers entering the field who need this type of text.
My own experience of the past 35 years is testimony to the complexity
of catalytic development: graduate degrees in physics under the direction
of a colloidal chemist; 13 years of industrial research with Exxon Research
and Engineering, learning the balance of fundamental and applied catalysis;
and 18 as professor of chemical engineering, developing and using teaching
techniques. I would hope that today's apprentices do not need such a varied
path but find within existing disciplines the guidance and background with
which to advance catalysis from an art to a science.
And yet it is no easy task to write a book for such a heterogeneous
(no pun intended) audience. Physicists, chemists, and engineers seeking a
foothold will find in these pages a little of all their crafts but, alas, not
enough to satisfy the purists. The objective is to provide the necessary
essence of each discipline, to educate, to instruct, and to supply enough
coherence that, one hopes, those of us from different backgrounds can work
together or at least converse with each other. For those wishing to advance
into a deeper study of catalysis, this book will serve as a focal point and a
launching pad, through the references quoted liberally in the text.
The specialist is not forgotten. I have learned that each of us has still
much to discover. If this book sparks one creative thought in each of its
readers, its purpose will have been realized.
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