CATALYTIC CONVERTER

A pollution-control device found on the exhaust system of all cars since its introduction in 1974 which acts like an afterburner to reburn unburned gas in the tail pipe . It looks like a small muffler and is usually made of stainless steel. It contains platinum , rhodium, or palladium which is a catalyst for the chemical reaction needed to burn off any unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by turning them into water vapor, carbon dioxide and other less toxic gases. Also see three-way catalytic converter .