Description: "This book describes the spectacular increase in molecular understanding of heterogenous catalytic reactions in important industrial processes. Reaction mechanism and kinetics are discussed with a unique focus on their relation with the inorganic chemistry of the catalyst material. An introductory chapter presents the development of catalysis science and catalyst discovery from a historical perspective. Five chapters that form the thrust of the book are organized by type of reaction, reactivity principles, and mechanistic theories, which provide the scientific basis to structure-function relationships of catalyst performance. Present-day challenges to catalysis are sketched in a final chapter"--