Application of in situ MAS NMR for elucidation of reaction mechanisms in heterogeneous catalysis

This short review deals with the recent applications of in situ MAS NMR techniques for the unravel of the mechanisms of heterogeneous catalytic reactions. In the first part, the different approaches for realization of in situ MAS NMR experiments in static and flow conditions are considered. In the second part, the main application areas are discussed and a cross reference index between the reactions studied, the catalysts used, the mechanistic information obtained and the corresponding literature sources is established. In the third part, the capabilities of the in situ MAS NMR techniques are illustrated with examples taken from our recent results on the mechanistic studies of various catalytic reactions over mono- and bifunctional zeolite and oxide catalysts. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.