Reaction Progress Kinetic Analysis: A Powerful Methodology for Mechanistic Studies of Complex Catalytic Reactions

Reaction progress kinetic analysis to obtain a comprehensive picture of complex catalytic reaction behavior is described. This methodology employs in situ measurements and simple manipulations to construct a series of graphical rate equations that enable analysis of the reaction to be accomplished from a minimal number of experiments. Such an analysis helps to describe the driving forces of a reaction and may be used to help distinguish between different proposed mechanistic models. This Review describes the procedure for undertaking such analysis for any new reaction under study. Intuitive and precise: Kinetic measurements are often considered time‐intensive and routine studies required to determine concentration dependences and help distinguish between different proposed reaction mechanisms. This Review describes step by step how this can be achieved from a minimal number of experiments with the help of intuitive “graphical rate equations” (see picture) without prior mechanistic knowledge of a catalytic reaction cycle.