Animated Solution for Chemistry - Surface Chemistry: Match List-I with List-II. $\begin{array}{ll}\text{List-I (Process)}& \text{List-II (Catalyst)}\\ \text{(A) Deacon’s process}& \text{(i) ZSM-5}\\ \text{(B) Contact process}& \text{(ii) }CuC{l}_2\\ \text{(C) Cracking of hydrocarbons}& \text{(iii) Particles ’Ni’}\\ \text{(D) Hydrogenation of vegetable oils}& \text{(iv) }{V}_2{O}_5\end{array}$ Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below.

Imagine trying to push a massive boulder up a steep hill. It takes an enormous amount of energy and time. Now, imagine someone suddenly carves a smooth tunnel right through the hill. The boulder rolls through effortlessly. In the world of chemistry, catalysts are the architects of those tunnels. They provide an alternative pathway with a lower activation energy, making seemingly impossible industrial reactions feasible, fast, and economically viable.

In this problem, we are looking at four monumental industrial processes that have shaped the modern world. Let's break them down and uncover the specific catalysts that make them tick.

Brewing Chlorine

Chlorine is a vital chemical used in everything from water purification to the manufacturing of PVC pipes. Historically, producing it on a large scale was a challenge. Enter Deacon's process.

This process involves the oxidation of hydrogen chloride gas by atmospheric oxygen. The reaction looks like this:

Without a catalyst, this reaction is sluggish. However, by introducing Copper(II) chloride ($CuC{l}_2$) at around $723\text{ K}$, the reaction proceeds smoothly. The $CuC{l}_2$ acts as a perfect mediator, facilitating the transfer of oxygen to the hydrogen chloride. Therefore, Deacon's process pairs perfectly with $CuC{l}_2$.

The King of Acids

Sulphuric acid ($H_{2}S{O}_4$) is often called the "king of chemicals" because a nation's industrial strength can be gauged by its sulphuric acid production. The most critical and difficult step in its manufacture is the Contact process.

Here, sulphur dioxide must be oxidized to sulphur trioxide:

This is a reversible, exothermic reaction. To maximize the yield of $S{O}_3$ at a reasonable rate, a highly effective catalyst is required. While platinized asbestos was used historically, it was easily poisoned by arsenic impurities. Today, Vanadium pentoxide ($V_2{O}_5$) is the undisputed champion for this role. It is robust, cheaper, and highly efficient. Thus, the Contact process is inextricably linked to $V_2{O}_5$.

The Zeolite Sieve

When crude oil is pumped from the ground, it contains a lot of heavy, long-chain hydrocarbons that aren't very useful as fuel. To get valuable products like gasoline, these long chains must be broken down into smaller ones. This is called cracking.

Modern refineries use a sophisticated technique called shape-selective catalysis. They use zeolites, which are microporous aluminosilicate minerals. Think of them as molecular sieves with microscopic pores of very specific sizes.

ZSM-5 (Zeolite Socony Mobil-5) is a superstar in this category. It is specifically designed to convert alcohols directly into gasoline and is heavily used in the catalytic cracking of petroleum. Therefore, cracking of hydrocarbons matches with ZSM-5.

From Oil to Ghee

Have you ever wondered how liquid vegetable oils are turned into solid fats like margarine or Vanaspati ghee? The secret is hydrogenation.

Vegetable oils contain unsaturated carbon-carbon double bonds. By adding hydrogen across these double bonds, the oil becomes saturated and solidifies at room temperature.

To make the hydrogen molecules react with the oil, we need a surface where they can meet and interact. Finely divided Nickel (Ni) provides an excellent, expansive surface area for this adsorption to occur. The hydrogen gas adsorbs onto the nickel, the bonds weaken, and it readily reacts with the oil. Hence, hydrogenation of vegetable oils is paired with particles of 'Ni'.

By understanding the chemistry behind these massive industrial operations, the matching becomes intuitive rather than just a memory exercise:

(A) Deacon's process relies on (ii) $CuC{l}_2$. (B) Contact process depends on (iv) $V_2{O}_5$. (C) Cracking of hydrocarbons utilizes (i) ZSM-5. (D) Hydrogenation of vegetable oils uses (iii) Particles 'Ni'.

This perfectly aligns with the option A-(ii), B-(iv), C-(i), D-(iii). Chemistry isn't just equations on a page; it's the engine driving the modern world!