Three Chemistry Lessons in Catalytic Converters

The goal of the catalytic converter is to get rid of those bad side products. It's basically being an organic chemistry. It's like purifying out the things it doesn't want. So that's its job. Really, I guess any kind of chemist that does synthesis, there's an organic chemistry to synthesis to. But so when combustion engines have their emissions come out, those emissions pass through what's called a three way catalyst. That's nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide and then hydrocarbons that just didn't react. All those can sometimes come out of our cylinders into our exhaust pipes as dangerous byproducts of the reaction.

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