Mechanical Catalysis - by Gerhard Swiegers Hardcover

Book Synopsis

• Provides a clear and systematic description of the key role played by catalyst reactant dynamism including: (i) the fundamental processes at work, (ii) the origin of its general and physical features, (iii) the way it has evolved, and (iv) how it relates to catalysis in man-made systems.
• Unifies homogeneous, heterogeneous, and enzymatic catalysis into a single, conceptually coherent whole.
• Describes how to authentically mimic the underlying principles of enzymatic catalysis in man-made systems.
• Examines the origin and role of complexity and complex Systems Science in catalysis--very hot topics in science today.

From the Back Cover

The authoritative reference on time-dependent (mechanical) catalysis, as employed by many enzymes and sought in their man-made mimics

This book examines the principles of mechanics as they apply to chemistry and, more particularly, catalysis. It's a unique, comprehensive resource focusing on unconventional time-dependent (mechanical) catalysis, instead of the more familiar energy-dependent (thermodynamic) catalysis. To help practitioners envision how catalyst-reactant dynamism leads to time-dependent catalysis, it:

• Demonstrates the existence of two fundamentally different forms of "reaction-limited" catalysis, namely time-dependent (mechanical) and energy-dependent (thermodynamic) catalysis

• Describes their physical manifestation in heterogeneous and homogeneous systems

• Shows how many enzymes use time-dependent catalytic reactions

• Unravels the mystery of enzymatic catalysis, including: the fundamental processes at work, the origin of its general and physical features, the way it has evolved, and how it relates to catalysis in man-made systems

• Unifies homogeneous, heterogeneous, and enzymatic catalysis, and explains how the thirty or so general theories of enzymatic catalysis are knit together into a conceptually coherent whole

• Describes how to authentically mimic the underlying principles of enzymatic catalysis in man-made systems, including: the design requirements for such catalysts, the difficulties in duplicating the natural process, and the approaches that may be used to overcome these challenges

• Describes the role of catalysis in the emerging field of complex systems science

A key resource for chemists, biochemists, and chemical engineers, this is also a reference for students of complex systems science and researchers in a variety of fields, including economics, evolution, weather forecasting, traffic management, and networking.

Review Quotes

?This book is a useful addition to the library of any individual working with functionalized catalysts, especially those that may undergo conformational changes during the reaction process. This text is especially informative for those working with enzymes, biomimetic, and organometallic-based catalysts. It also unifies many of the kinetic models that have been put forth to describe heterogeneous, homogeneous, and enzymatic catalysis.? (Journal of the American Chemical Society, October 2009)

About the Author

Gerhard F. Swiegers, PhD, earned his doctorate at the University of Connecticut in 1991 and then worked at the Australian National University and the University of Wollongong, Australia. In 1998, he joined the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the major government laboratory in Australia. From 1998 to 2006, he was involved with designing anti-counterfeiting devices for bank notes. In 2005, one of his inventions was commercialized as a spin-off company known as Datatrace DNA Pty Ltd, and in 2006, Dr. Swiegers joined the firm as Vice President, Strategic Research. Several of Dr. Swiegers's inventions are currently used by national governments and major companies around the world.