Solvent effects in heterogeneous catalysis : Application to the synthesis of fine chemicals

Solvent effects in heterogeneous catalysis are examined in terms of physical or chemical modifications to control the chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity of a reaction. The main factors affecting selectivity are reactant solubility, polarity, reactivity or acido-basicity of solvents and competitive chemisorption of products and solvents. In the special case of molecular sieves, selectivity control of a reaction by competitive adsorption, diffusion or shape selectivity and confinement catalysis are also examined.