How Molybdenum Disulfide Catalyst was Discovered?

A catalyst is a substance that changes the rate of reaction but does not change the total standard. Tungsten and molybdenum compounds have been used in the field of catalysis for more than 60 years.

The discovery of the catalyst was relatively accidental in history. One day, Berzelius, the Swedish chemist, was busy experimenting in the chemistry lab. In the evening, his wife, Maria, prepares a feast for friends and family to celebrate her birthday. Berzelius was so absorbed in the experiment that he forgot all about it, it was not until Maria pulled him out of the lab that he realized and hurried home.

As soon as he entered the room, the guests raised their glasses to congratulate him, and he took a glass of nectarine and drank it without washing his hands. When he filled his second glass, he raised his eyebrows and cried, "Maria, why do you give me vinegar?" Maria and her guests froze. Maria looked carefully at the bottle, and poured out a glass to taste it. It was all right, it was a peach wine! Berzelius handed over the glass of wine he had poured, and Maria took a sip, and almost vomited. "How did the sweet wine become acetic acid suddenly? She said. The guests came together and watched, wondering what had happened to the cup.

Berzelius found that there was a small amount of black powder in the glass. He looked at his hand and saw that his hands were stained with platinum when he was grinding white gold in the lab. He gulped down the sour wine with excitement. It turns out that the magic of turning wine into acetic acid comes from the platinum powder, which accelerates the chemical reaction of ethanol (alcohol) and oxygen in the air, producing acetic acid. Later, it was called catalytic or catalyst, and the Greek word meant "to unbind."

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