Chapter 11, Problem 11.101PAE

Substances that poison a catalyst pose a major concern for many engineering designs, including those for catalytic converters. One design option is to add materials that react with potential poisons before they reach the catalyst. Among the commonly encountered catalyst poisons are silicon and phosphorus, which typically form phosphate or silicate ions in the oxidizing environment of an engine. Group 2 elements are added to the catalyst to react with these contaminants before they reach the working portion of the catalytic converter. If estimates show that a catalytic converter will be exposed to 625 g of silicon during its lifetime, what mass of beryllium would need to be included in the design?