Preface

Catalysis is one of the basic fundamental as well as thrust research areas of chemical sciences which fascinates a wide range of academicians, researchers, chemical technologists and industries throughout the world. The field of catalysis is interdisciplinary by its nature, includes organic synthesis, coordination and organometallic chemistry, kinetics and mechanism, stereochemical concepts and material science all at its very heart. Though the catalysis is an established area of research but one in which novel unexplored development continues exponentially. In the past few decades 2001, 2005 and 2010 nine Nobel laureates enriched on the domain of catalysis generating practical use of asymmetric catalysis to stereoselectivity of asymmetric hydrogenation and oxidation, development of metathesis method in organic synthesis and catalytic carbon-carbon coupling reactions respectively. Further, chemical and enzymatic catalysis is very popular and higly dynamic research area which received 15 times recognition from the Nobel Foundation during 1901 to 2012.

The downstream chemicals and valuable commercial products obtained via the diverse catalysts and catalytic processes have been gaining unprecedented prominence which could be evidenced by increasingly large numbers of publications, patents, monographs, symposia and conferences. Innumerable organic, inorganic and biochemical reactions are facilitated by catalysis and thus it plays a crucial role in chemical sciences. The global catalyst market shows about 90% of all commercially produced bulk and fine chemicals, biochemical, synthetic and medicinal products involve homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysis at some stage in the chemical or biochemical process of their manufacture. In recent years, there is tremendous growth in various types of subfields in catalysis e.g., nanocatalysis, asymmetric or chiral catalysis, industrial catalysis, organocatalysis, photocatalysis, electrochemical catalysis, enzyme and biocatalysis, tandem catalysis, autocatalysis, induced catalysis, and environmental catalysis. The quantitative requirement of the catalyst in a chemical process from the stoichiometric amount to catalytic amount and potential to change equilibrium excites the researcher to dream about perpetual motion machine, a contradiction to the law of thermodynamics. Stereospecific catalysts not only accelerate the reaction rates but also control the product absolute configuration, therefore a deep insight into kinetics and mechanism of catalysis is vital to get desired products conversion rates, turnover number and frequency of the catalytic reactions processes. Therefore, catalysis development and understanding is crucial not only to the academics or basic microscopic level but industrial, technology or macroscopic level as well.

This book involves the most distinctive characteristics of almost all-inclusive of the catalysis and highlights many important topics and subfields/subdisciplines. The novel design, synthesis, development, reducing energy consumption and side products, atom economy and green chemistry approach of catalysis definitely would play a vital role in future perspective of catalysis.

We hope this book will serve as an excellent reference for graduate students, researchers at all levels in both academic and industrial laboratories.