Catalyst productivity calculator.
Measure how much product a catalyst generates per gram of catalyst used — a mass-based efficiency metric especially suited to heterogeneous systems. Results update live as you type, and every session stays in your browser.
What is Catalyst Productivity — and why does it matter?
Catalyst Productivity (CP) is a mass-based measure of catalytic efficiency: the grams of desired product obtained per gram of catalyst consumed. Unlike Turnover Number (TON), CP does not require knowledge of the catalyst's molecular weight, making it the metric of choice for heterogeneous catalysts (Pd/C, supported metals, zeolites, enzymes immobilised on a support) where the "molecular weight of the active site" is either undefined or irrelevant.
The formula
| Symbol | Term | Units |
|---|---|---|
| $\text{CP}$ | Catalyst Productivity | g g−1 (dimensionless; higher is better) |
| $m_{\text{product}}$ | Mass of isolated desired product | g |
| $m_{\text{catalyst}}$ | Mass of catalyst used (as weighed out, including any support) | g |
For heterogeneous catalysts (e.g., 5 wt% Pd/C), enter the total mass of the catalyst as weighed — support included. If you want to express CP in terms of the active metal only, multiply by the metal weight fraction (e.g., 0.05 for 5 wt% Pd/C). For homogeneous catalysts with a defined MW, consider pairing CP with Turnover Number (TON). If the catalyst is recovered and reused, add product from all runs to the numerator while the denominator stays fixed at the original catalyst mass.
Typical CP ranges by catalyst type
| Catalyst type / Application | Typical CP (g g−1) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial heterogeneous (Haber-Bosch, Fischer-Tropsch) | > 10,000 | Highly optimised, continuous, long catalyst lifetime |
| Supported precious metals (Pd/C, Pt/Al₂O₃) — fine chemicals | 100–10,000 | Depends strongly on loading, substrate, conversion |
| Homogeneous organometallic (Pd, Ru, Rh complexes) | 10–1,000 | Single batch; recycle difficult |
| Organocatalysis (proline, BINAP derivatives) | 1–100 | Often high loading; improvement area for green chemistry |
| Biocatalysis (free enzymes, batch) | 10–10,000 | Highly variable; immobilised enzymes greatly increase CP via reuse |
CP vs TON — when to use each
| Metric | Basis | Best for | Requires MW? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CP | Mass (g/g) | Heterogeneous catalysts, cost analysis, scale-up | No |
| TON | Moles (mol/mol) | Mechanistic studies, homogeneous catalysis, comparing catalyst activity | Yes |
| TOF (h⁻¹) | Moles per time | Kinetics, rate comparisons | Yes |
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- No molecular weight required — works for any catalyst type
- Directly comparable to catalyst cost and environmental burden
- Easily extended to multi-run reuse: cumulative product ÷ single catalyst batch
- Intuitive unit (g per g) — straightforward for industrial reporting
Limitations
- Does not capture reaction rate — two catalysts with the same CP may differ greatly in TOF
- Heterogeneous catalyst mass includes the support, diluting the apparent CP vs active metal only
- Does not account for catalyst regeneration or partial deactivation
- Sensitive to how "catalyst used" is defined — metal vs whole formulation
Experiment details
Desired product(s)
Enter the mass of each desired product actually isolated. If a process produces multiple valuable products, list each one — their combined mass forms the numerator of CP. Use the same mass units as for the catalyst (both in grams).
| Product name | Mass isolated (g) |
|---|
Catalyst(s)
Enter each catalyst as weighed out. For heterogeneous catalysts (e.g., Pd/C), use the total catalyst mass including support. For multi-catalyst systems, list each separately — their masses are summed for the denominator. The "% of product" column shows each catalyst mass as a percentage of the total product mass, giving a quick sense of loading.
| Catalyst name | Mass used (g) | % of product mass |
|---|
Results
Mass breakdown: product vs catalyst
Product vs catalyst — log-scale comparison
Detailed breakdown & interpretation
| Name | Role | Mass (g) | % of total | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enter product(s) and catalyst(s) above to see the breakdown. | ||||
Interpretation
Save & load sessions
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Export
Export your CP calculation as a PDF report or CSV data file. PDF opens in a new tab and uses your browser's print function. CSV downloads directly.
Where can I read more?
References are sorted alphabetically by first author.
- P. T. Anastas and J. C. Warner, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0-19-850698-0. — Principle 9 (Catalysis): catalytic reagents preferred over stoichiometric; the conceptual foundation for all catalytic efficiency metrics.
- B. W. Cue Jr. and J. Zhang, Green Process Synth., 2012, 1, 3–11. DOI. — Reviews green chemistry metrics including catalyst productivity in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- P. Y. Dapsens, C. Mondelli and J. Pérez-Ramírez, ACS Catal., 2012, 2, 1487–1499. DOI. — Discusses catalyst performance metrics including mass-based productivity for heterogeneous systems.
- R. A. Sheldon, Green Chem., 2018, 20, 3953–3970. DOI. — Metrics for the greenness of catalysis; discusses CP and TON in the context of biocatalysis and heterogeneous catalysis.
- J. L. Tucker, Org. Process Res. Dev., 2010, 14, 328–331. DOI. — Industrial perspective on catalysis metrics for pharmaceutical process development.
Contributors
Roles follow the CRediT taxonomy (Contributor Roles Taxonomy), adapted for educational software. Hover a contributor's name for a summary, or a column header for the definition of that role.
| Contributor |
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