Which chemical component is converted by catalytic converters to reduce pollution?

Catalytic converters are devices installed in vehicles that play a crucial role in reducing harmful emissions produced during fuel combustion. One of the main pollutants generated is carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that results from incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels.

In the catalytic converter, carbon monoxide is converted into carbon dioxide through oxidation reactions facilitated by noble metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. This process not only reduces the concentration of carbon monoxide in the exhaust gases, making them less harmful to human health and the environment, but also helps in lowering the overall emissions of greenhouse gases.

While water vapor and nitrogen gas are byproducts of combustion (with water being formed during the burning of hydrocarbons and nitrogen being a major component of the air we breathe), they are not the focus of reduction in a catalytic converter since they are typically not harmful pollutants. Oxygen, on the other hand, is involved in the combustion process itself and is not considered a pollutant that needs reducing. Therefore, carbon monoxide is the primary chemical component that catalytic converters aim to convert and reduce in order to mitigate pollution from vehicle emissions.