CATALYTIC CONVERTERS
PREPARED BY;
MUHAMMED DOĞAN
9/B 232
CONTENT
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The Origin
The Usage & Importance
The Dangers
The Development
The Types
How They Work
For The Future
Quiz Time
The Origin
• Eugene Houdry
• around 1950
• for smoke stacks
The Usage & Importance
• made up of platinum,
palladium and rhodium
• speed up chemical reactions
• dangerous gases ---- less
dangerous.
• environment hygiene
The Dangers
• Nitrogen oxides, NO and NO2 ---- acid rains.
• Carbon monoxide(CO) burn in insufficient oxygen---poisonous.
• Unburnt hydro carbons ------ cancer.
The Development
• Eugene Houdry, for gasoline engines, mid
1950s
• John J. Mooney & Carl D. Keith, for creating
the first production catalytic converter, 1973.
The Types
• 2 types;
– Two-way (Oxidation)
– Three-way (Oxidation-Reduction)
Two-Way (Oxidation)
• 2 simultaneous task:
 Carbon monoxide burns with oxygen to
form carbon dioxide:
2CO + O2
2CO2
Hydrocarbons burn with oxygen to
carbon dioxide and water:
CxH2x+2 + [(3x+1)/2] O2
xCO2 + (x+1) H2O
• diesel engines --- reduce hydrocarbon and
carbon monoxide emission.
• gasoline engines until 1975.
Three-Way (Oxidation- Reduction)
• 3 simultaneous tasks:
– Reduction of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen:
• 2NOx → xO2 + N2
– Carbon monoxide burns with oxygen to form carbon
dioxide:
• 2CO + O2 → 2CO2
– Hydrocarbons burn with oxygen to form carbon
dioxide and water:
• CxH2x+2 + [(3x+1)/2]O2 → xCO2 + (x+1)H2O
• have been used since 1975.
• for vehicle emission control system.
How They Work?
http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cats.htm
For the future
Quiz Time
• Question #1:
What year did the catalytic converter make its
debut?
A-1965
B-1975
C-1985
THE ANSWER IS ‘B’
Quiz Time
• Question #2:
In chemistry, what is the name of a substance
that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction
without itself being affected?
A- Cascade B- Cathode C- Catalyst
THE ANSWER IS ‘C’
Quiz Time
• Question #3:
A standard catalytic converter contains several
hundred dollars worth of what materials?
A- Gold, silver and bronze
B- Platinum, palladium and rhodium
C- Chromium, platinum and silver
THE ANSWER IS ‘B’
The End
•Thanks for listening
to me 
REFERENCES
• http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic
-converter-quiz.htm
• http://www.obitet.gazi.edu.tr/obitet/yaki
tlar_yaglar/euro%202003%20emisyon1.h
tm
• http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cats.htm