acid-base catalysis

acid-base catalysis, acceleration of a chemical reaction by the addition of an acid or a base, the acid or base itself not being consumed in the reaction. The catalytic reaction may be acid-specific (acid catalysis), as in the case of decomposition of the sugar sucrose into glucose and fructose in sulfuric acid; or base-specific (base catalysis), as in the addition of hydrogen cyanide to aldehydes and ketones in the presence of sodium hydroxide. Many reactions are catalyzed by both acids and bases.

The mechanism of acid- and base-catalyzed reactions is explained in terms of the Brønsted-Lowry concept of acids and bases as one in which there is an initial transfer of protons from an acidic catalyst to the reactant or from the reactant to a basic catalyst. In terms of the Lewis theory of acids and bases, the reaction entails sharing of an electron pair donated by a base catalyst or accepted by an acid catalyst.

Acid catalysis is employed in a large number of industrial reactions, among them the conversion of petroleum hydrocarbons to gasoline and related products. Such reactions include decomposition of high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons (cracking) using alumina-silica catalysts (Brønsted-Lowry acids), polymerization of unsaturated hydrocarbons using sulfuric acid or hydrogen fluoride (Brønsted-Lowry acids), and isomerization of aliphatic hydrocarbons using aluminum chloride (a Lewis acid).

Among industrial applications of base-catalyzed reactions is the reaction of diisocyanates with polyfunctional alcohols in the presence of amines, used in the manufacture of polyurethane foams.