Gas chromatographic investigation of the competition between mass transfer and kinetics on a solid catalyst

The reversed-flow gas chromatography (RF-GC) method is used to investigate the competition between mass transfer and kinetics in heterogeneous catalysis. The well-studied dissociative adsorption of carbon monoxide over a silica supported rhodium catalyst at various temperatures is used as model system. The Thiele-type modulus Φs and the effectiveness factor η are calculated for both adsorbate (CO) and product (CO2), from the experimental chromatographic peaks. The values experimentally found are similar to those predicted theoretically and give interesting information for the mechanism of the interaction of carbon monoxide with the catalyst studied.