Can artificial neural networks help the experimentation in catalysis?

This work is focused on the practical application of artificial intelligent techniques in chemical engineering. Specifically, it describes an application of artificial neural networks for modelling the kinetics of a chemical reaction using methods not based in a kinetic model. Thus, neural networks have been used to model the behaviour of one catalyst under different reaction conditions for a specific reaction, i.e. n-octane isomerisation. Secondly, trained neural networks were used to model successfully another reaction with a similar reaction network. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.