Still not all phenomena in catalysis - no matter if this is homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysis - can be totally rationally explained. This makes the experiment the most valuable tool for our R&D people developing new and better catalysts. Empiricism coupled with the intuition and experience of the chemist leads to the best solutions.

Traditionally, the number of experiments in the lab was limited to a few per day. Degussa Catalysts removed this bottleneck by installing 'Parallel Rapid Screening" equipment.

There are two prerequisites that guarantee the success of parallel rapid screening:

• rational design of the experiments governed by knowledge and intuition and
• the ability to scale up the results found on the mini scale.

The screening services are not offered as a stand-alone service, but are always an integral part of our customer projects. The rationale behind using parallel rapid screening in customer projects is:

• speed, i.e. finding suitable catalysts and reaction conditions quicker
• comprehensiveness, i.e. being sure to have found the best catalyst and conditions through the extensive screen.