3 ms·

I'm not sure why I'm bothering, but here is the definition of a "catalyst" [1], which states that a catalyst promotes a reaction that would otherwise require hi

I'm not sure why I'm bothering, but here is the definition of a "catalyst" [1], which states that a catalyst promotes a reaction that would otherwise require higher temperature. Here is a description of how hydrogen can be liberated by increasing thermal energy of a sample [2]. What exactly is the issue, and where are your citations supporting your argument? 1. "Thermodynamics of High Temperature Gases" by Joseph Hilsenrath and Bertrand Hirschfelder, which discusses the breakdown of water at extreme temperatures. 2. "Thermodynamics of High Temperature Gases" by Joseph Hilsenrath and Bertrand Hirschfelder, which discusses the breakdown of water at extreme temperatures.

lowbloodsugar 2y ago
I notice that you haven’t refuted my claim.
eesmith 2y ago
I cannot verify that citation exists. I looked in archive.org and Google Scholar. No such title found. Joseph Hilsenrath was an employee at the National Bureau of Standards in the 1960s. It seems he was involved in making tables concerning gases, but not in catalysis. There appears to be no publications by Bertrand Hirschfelder. How did you come across this apparently obscure publication, and why are your [1] and [2] the same? It seems gauche to suggest it, but my experience with LLMs is they often give bad citations like this. If you are using a second-hand source for your information, you may want to verify they are not giving you LLM swill. I ask because your summary of what a catalyst means is pretty poor, and I wanted to see what your source material says. For example, as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysis points out, a catalyst does not alter the equilibrium constant. It adds that if a catalyst were to change the equilibrium constant, the result "would be a perpetual motion machine, a contradiction to the laws of thermodynamics." Then if we go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis_of_water https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis_of_water we see "The decomposition of pure water into hydrogen and oxygen at standard temperature and pressure is not favorable in thermodynamic terms". Higher temperatures work "because the electrolysis reaction is more efficient at higher temperatures. In fact, at 2500 °C, electrical input is unnecessary because water breaks down to hydrogen and oxygen through thermolysis. Such temperatures are impractical; proposed HTE systems operate between 100 °C and 850 °C.", says https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature_electrolysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature_electrolysis . Thus, raising the temperature in order to shift the hydrolysis equilibrium constant, as you described it, cannot be characterized as catalysis.

lowbloodsugar 2y ago

I notice that you haven’t refuted my claim.

eesmith 2y ago

I cannot verify that citation exists. I looked in archive.org and Google Scholar. No such title found. Joseph Hilsenrath was an employee at the National Bureau of Standards in the 1960s. It seems he was involved in making tables concerning gases, but not in catalysis. There appears to be no publications by Bertrand Hirschfelder. How did you come across this apparently obscure publication, and why are your [1] and [2] the same? It seems gauche to suggest it, but my experience with LLMs is they often give bad citations like this. If you are using a second-hand source for your information, you may want to verify they are not giving you LLM swill. I ask because your summary of what a catalyst means is pretty poor, and I wanted to see what your source material says. For example, as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysis points out, a catalyst does not alter the equilibrium constant. It adds that if a catalyst were to change the equilibrium constant, the result "would be a perpetual motion machine, a contradiction to the laws of thermodynamics." Then if we go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis_of_water https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis_of_water we see "The decomposition of pure water into hydrogen and oxygen at standard temperature and pressure is not favorable in thermodynamic terms". Higher temperatures work "because the electrolysis reaction is more efficient at higher temperatures. In fact, at 2500 °C, electrical input is unnecessary because water breaks down to hydrogen and oxygen through thermolysis. Such temperatures are impractical; proposed HTE systems operate between 100 °C and 850 °C.", says https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature_electrolysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature_electrolysis . Thus, raising the temperature in order to shift the hydrolysis equilibrium constant, as you described it, cannot be characterized as catalysis.