Separating the Catalysts from the Chaff
Thursday, September 9, 2010 - 15:07
in Physics & Chemistry
When studying how specific catalysts drive reactions, scientists are often frustrated by the actions of unrelated molecules in the samples. Now, thanks to a device created by a team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, extraneous molecules are separated out of the samples and the desired catalyst is gently placed onto a surface. The team designed and constructed this soft-landing instrument after hearing about the challenges of separating catalysts from other impurities in heterogeneous samples.