ABSTRACT
Hydrothermal reaction is a reaction conducted in the hot compressed water that acts as a medium, reactant, and even catalyst. The detailed introduction of the property of hydrothermal reaction can be found in our previous book. Catalysis, as the core concept of hydrothermal reaction for sustainable energy transformation and chemicals production, is explored heavily in the numerous studies covering areas from homogeneous catalysis to heterogeneous catalysis. Solid catalysts that can be easily recovered are often used to selectively produce target molecules, enabling the chemistry in the interface between solvent medium and solid, which is of vital importance to understand the reaction mechanism. The unique properties of water near or above critical point (374°C and 22.1 MPa) would further strengthen the aimed reactions. In this chapter, a general view of catalytic reactions occurring under hydrothermal conditions is introduced, especially the reactions at the solid–solution interface referring to heterogeneous catalysis. Two case studies of hydrothermal reactions involving heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis are then introduced as well to give the readers a snapshot in this broad field.
