Catalytic Converter Theft
Catalytic converters are valuable to scrap metal dealers, in part, because they contain precious metals.
A converter is an emissions control device that has precious metals — platinum, palladium, rhodium — that act as catalysts. Platinum is often used as the catalyst for the converter, which reduces nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen, and oxidizes carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and unburned hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water.