Metal nitrides, the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism and heterogeneously catalysed ammonia synthesis

Whilst the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism is well established for metal oxide catalysed oxidation reactions, it has been much less studied in the case of nitrogen based reactions catalysed by metal nitrides. In this overview, some of the recent literature in relation to the possible operation of the Mars- van Krevelen mechanism for ammonia synthesis catalysed by metal nitrides is presented, along with some of the literature relating to the synthesis of ammonia via chemical looping approaches.