Question

Why is vanadium pentoxide preferred over platinum as a catalyst during contact process?

Answer 1

Answer:

The contact process is used to produce sulfuric acid in the high concentrations required for industrial processes. Earlier platinum was used as a catalyst for this reaction but it is susceptible to react with arsenic impurities in the sulfur feedstock. So now vanadium oxide V2O5 is preferred.

Answer 2

Answer:

platinum is a more efficient catalyst than vanadium pentoxide. But it is more expensive and it also gets poisoned by impurities like arsenic (III) oxide.On the other hand, vanadium pentoxide though less efficient is cheaper and not affected by impurities