ABSTRACT
Limits of mean field theory So far in this book, we assumed that the mean eld theory of chemical kinetics hold true. In other words, the rate of the reactions is proportional to the average concentrations of the species in the reactor volume. This assumption can be valid for homogeneous systems, where the reaction rate is comparable to the rate of mixing provided by molecular collisions or through mechanical stirring. However, when dealing with catalytic reactions, we can no longer use the mean-eld approximations for the reaction rates. The interactions between the reactants and the catalyst surface can induce aggregation of the adsorbed molecules on the surface. One very beautiful example for such systems is the CO oxidation reaction taking place on Pt surfaces. Before we can discuss these, we should briey tackle the predator-prey problem.
