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A versatile and portable apparatus was developed to demonstrate exciting visual displays of catalytic phenomena that introduce basic concepts in catalysis, renewable energy, and chemical safety, in order to pique scientific curiosity in a variety of audiences including middle and high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public. The demonstration uses the platinum-catalyzed oxidation of hydrogen by oxygen as a model reaction to illustrate concepts in thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and electrochemistry. The apparatus was designed to contain inherent safety features and the versatility to adopt several configurations to perform a wide range of experiments in classroom settings, informal science education activities, and public outreach events. Soap bubbles are used to confine small, controlled volumes (<35 cm[subscript 3]) of hydrogen/oxygen gas mixtures and probe the reactivity of bulk and nanoparticle forms of platinum to illustrate how high metal surface areas increase catalytic reaction rates. In parallel, a hydrogen/oxygen proton-exchange fuel cell is used to demonstrate how chemical energy released from the exergonic hydrogen oxidation reaction can be converted into electricity by using a platinum-containing electrocatalyst. With adjustments of the operating configuration and the experimental conditions of the apparatus, the demonstrations can be tailored toward target demographics of varying scientific proficiency to emphasize specific learning objectives for topics in reaction chemistry and engineering. Potential hazards and important safety precautions are addressed.

A versatile and transportable laboratory apparatus was developed for middle and high school (6th-12th grade) students as part of a hands-on outreach activity to estimate catalytic rates of hydrogen peroxide decomposition from oxygen evolution rates measured by using a volumetric displacement method. The apparatus was constructed with inherent safety features and is compatible with different types of catalysts, catalyst and peroxide concentrations, and reaction temperatures to enable the design of various experiments. The hands-on outreach activity was created with the aim of building scientific proficiency and stimulating interest in STEM fields among students with limited chemistry background. This activity is designed to be completed in short times (45 min) by students in small groups (3-5 students), where each group measures reaction rates at various activity stations and then gathers as a larger group (~20 total) to discuss their observations and results and to assess their scientific understanding. Additionally, the activity is incorporated into a broader outreach program that uses hydrogen peroxide reactions as an underlying theme to introduce fundamental concepts in catalysis and kinetics to K-12 students. The program can be tailored to emphasize specific scientific topics including medicine, energy, or the environment.

Understanding catalytic chemistry, collecting and interpreting kinetic data, and operating chemical reactors are critical skills for chemical engineers. This laboratory experiment provides students with a hands-on supplement to a course in chemical kinetics and reaction engineering. The oxidation of methane with a palladium catalyst supported on alumina (Pd/Al2O3) is used to introduce the ideal batch, plug-flow, and continuous stirred tank reactor types. Students can vary reactant partial pressures, temperature, and catalyst particle size to measure apparent activation energies, apparent reaction orders, effects of diffusion and mass transfer within catalytic pellets, and effects of product inhibition on reaction kinetics.

The author offers some points to consider for chemical engineers who want to transition from working professional to full-time graduate school student. These include the difficulty of reestablishing academic momentum, clearness of vision and path gained through technical expertise and life experiences, and the solid foundation obtained through on-the-job engineering experience.