Catalysts and auxiliaries

Catalyst buyers range from refineries and petrochemical plants that change out tonnes of heterogeneous catalyst every few years, to pharmaceutical and fine chemical producers who buy grams to kilograms of palladium complexes and chiral ligands. In both cases the catalyst is chosen by performance in a specific reaction, so suppliers often provide screening kits, samples and technical support.

For heterogeneous catalysts, specify the active metal and loading, the support, the form (powder, extrudates, spheres or pellets), particle size and, for powders, whether the product is supplied wet to reduce fire risk. For homogeneous catalysts and ligands, ask for purity, metal content, appearance, air and moisture sensitivity and storage conditions. Precious metal catalysts are usually priced on the metal content plus a fabrication charge, and many suppliers offer to refine spent catalyst and credit the recovered metal. Agree these terms before you order.