The Use of Isotopic Tracers in Studying Catalysts and Catalytic Reactions

Nonradioactive tracers such as deuterium, 18O, 15N, and 13C and radioactive tracers such as tritium and l4C have been used extensively for studying the properties of catalysts and the details of catalytic reactions. In the present paper an attempt will be made to show how the uses that have been made of isotopes in catalysis can be divided into one of three categories accordingly as they are concerned with (1) the study of the chemisorption of molecules on a catalyst surface and the nature of the catalyst surface; (2) the measurement of the extent to which the atoms from the structure of the solid catalyst take part in a catalytic reaction and become a part of the product; and (3) the details of the mechanism by which the catalytic reactions take place on the catalyst surface. These three categories will now be discussed and illustrated.