What is Catalyst: Definition and 60 Discussions

Catalysis () is the process of altering the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the catalyzed reaction hence they are unchanged after the reaction. Often only very small amounts of catalyst are required. The global demand for catalysts in 2010 was estimated at approximately US$29.5 billion.

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  1. gggnano

    Can I make a rocket by mixing aluminum + iodine (+ water catalyst)?

    Basically it's a well known reaction, many kids on youtube make it for the views: I am thinking, since AlI3 sublimes can it be put in say tungsten bottle (is this even a thing??) and then used as a rocket the same way Na+H2O or HCL+Al rockets are used - the gas escapes? This phase...
  2. samy4408

    Medical Hello, I found a weird sentence in a book about enzymes....

    Hello ! We all now that enzymes lower the activation energy by creating both covalent bonds and week non covalent bonds , in this book , about how the enzyme lower the activation energy using covalent bonds they said : this sentence is not compatible with a basic principle that i learned in...
  3. Dario56

    How are New Catalysts Discovered?

    What methodology is used for developing new catalysts with desired properties? To give some real world example, today chemists and chemical engineers try to find electrocatalysts needed for reduction of oxygen in hydrogen fuel cells and for oxidation of water in water electrolysis needed to...
  4. resurgance2001

    Chemistry Use standard cell potentials to show that a catalyst can work

    My solution in shown on the attached files. The overall reaction between Mn02 is 0.81 Volts The overall reaction which shows the reformation of the MnO2 catalyst is .27 Volts. The first reaction is more positive which shows that the MnO2 can work as a catalyst.
  5. seandepagnier

    Optimizing Hydrogen Combustion Catalysts for Efficient Stove Design

    I am interested in build a hydrogen stove for cooking and wish to use a catalytic stove. I cannot find much information about this anywhere, but only that nickel can be used for hydrogen rather than platinum. 1) Can I just use stainless scotch brite scrub pad as catalyst assuming it...
  6. M

    Does Polyester resin + catalyst react with uncured polyurethane foam?

    I left it on for about 3 weeks, most of the time it was in below curing temperature, sometimes below freezing, but i gave it about 15 hours of 20c+ to try to cure it. It never did, and still smelt really bad. I decided to rip off the resin that had hardened. Underneath it, the polyurethane foam...
  7. A

    MATLAB Catalyst Modelling with MATLAB: Modeling Concentration Profile in Photoreactor

    I have little knowledge of MATLAB. I am trying to model the concentration profile along the photocatalyst film thickness in a photoreactor. Mass Transport takes place by diffusion and the rate of generation of component is given by rA. Boundary conditions: Concentration of the component that is...
  8. Physics345

    Rhodium Catalyst Uses: Explained

    Homework Statement I was reviewing chem the other day, and noticed this question can anyone clarify my answer for me and let me know if I'm correct. The question states: Describe three uses of rhodium as a catalyst. ( include both a written description and the balancecd equation). Homework...
  9. T

    Is there a reaction for which the product is the catalyst?

    Is there a reaction of which the product is the catalyst for that same reaction?
  10. Quentin_alex

    Co precipitation of ceria-zirconia-lanthana catalyst support

    My question concerns the resultant particles of a co precipitation reaction. What effects occur when you accelerate/decelerate a co precipitation reaction? What are optimal conditions (speed, etc.) for this process? I am interested primarily in the effects on the resultant powder. Thank you.
  11. navneet9431

    What is 'R' as shown in the figure?

    what are those 'R' atoms(highlighted in red)? Also,What is finely divided Nickel(marked in red)? I will be thankful for help! Note:I am a High School student and English is my second language!
  12. Jr_Particle_Hunters

    Water splitting catalyst help please

    Hi there. We are working on a school science project to compare how different catalysts in water splitting affect the energy/voltage needed to carry out the process. One of our catalysts will be Co-Pi, which is created by adding Cobalt-nitrate to a .1M phosphate buffer solution during...
  13. A

    Non-combustible exothermic oxidation of a Hydrocarbon

    I have 2 queries and would be great if someone can lead me to some specific answers - 1. Is it possible to oxidise a complex hydrocarbon like Ethanol or Gasoline in a non-combustible but exothermic reaction? 2. If this kind of oxidation is possible, what would be the best catalysts to achieve...
  14. S

    Reason why Pt is a good catalyst

    In many chemical reaction, Pt is used as catalyst often. I'm wondering for what reason Pt is used in many process.
  15. T

    Catalyst increasing both forward and reverse reaction rate

    The question is: Which takes place when a catalyst is added to a reaction at equilibrium? A. The point of equilibrium is shifted to the right. B. The point of equilibrium is shifted to the left. C. The forward and reverse reactions rates are increased unequally. D. The forward and reverse...
  16. Marie Cailey

    Experiment for testing type of catalyst on reaction rate?

    < Mentor Note -- thread moved to HH from the technical forums, so no HH Template is shown > experiment for testing type of catalyst on reaction rate? I need an experiment (just the method) Where I can test the reaction rate of changing the catalyst type I need about 3 differnet catalysts e.g...
  17. F

    Can You Get Electricity From Car Catalyst?

    can I grab electrical energy from a car catalyst? do the reactions produce electricity?
  18. K

    Catalysts for Monopropellant Reactions

    Currently looking up all sorts of stuff about monopropellants(and catalysed reactions), but when anything talks about catalysts, they never say which one. Do all chemical classed as catalysts catalyse anything, could a catalyst bed H2O2 monopropellants decomposition just be a chunk of any random...
  19. T

    Increase Catalyst Surface Area & Reaction Rate: Experiment

    Hi there, I am doing an experiment in increasing the mass of MnO2 when it is added to H2O2 decomposition, and I'm measuring the rate of temperature change. I chose increments of 0.050, 0.100, 0.150, 0.200, and 0.250 g to put into H2O2 when it is decomposed, i.e. the MnO2 is a catalyst. I...
  20. C

    How does a catalyst affect equilibrium?

    OK I clicked a bunch of similar discussions, but it still makes no sense, I barely know what a catalyst is, besides the fact that they do affect the rate of reaction but not the equilibrium expression or pressure, which just got me hella fudged up. And i don't want any over complicated...
  21. C

    Surface area contact with catalyst effect on hydrogen redox

    I have also posted this question here: Relationship between surface area of electrode and reaction rate of hydrogen in fuel cells, but I really need an answer before tomorrow morning so I hope you don't mind me posting it here as well! I am looking at the effects of increasing the surface area...
  22. H

    Using graphite as a catalyst to break down Ozone

    Can graphite be used as a catalyst to break down ozone into oxygen without serious oxidization? The applied use for this is to break down ozone at the output of an ionic wind "fan". Similar operation to an ion thruster used by NASA but instead of using stored gasses and propelling them into...
  23. I

    Making Methane a More Useful Fuel: Catalyst Possibilities?

    This might be a stupid question so forgive me if it is. I am looking for a way to make methane more useful as a fule and it seems to me that to do that I would have to make it into a longer hydro-carbon chane. Is there a catalyst that could be used to do this? Thanks in advance.
  24. S

    Understanding Catalysts: A Key to Unlocking Efficient Chemical Reactions?

    what makes some particular elements and compounds a good catalyst for a particular reaction?
  25. B

    Using a Catalyst With Fuel Cells: Benefits and Challenges

    With galvanic cells, we assume that the redox reaction is kinetically inhibited so that equilibrium takes a long time to reach, so we can make a good measurement of the potential difference V. I thought fuel cells were the same originally, except that we recycle in reactants and products to make...
  26. M

    How Can I Make Catalyst Pellets from Zeolites?

    Dear friends I've been searching about catalyst pellets and found absolutely nothing about how to make them once all we have is the catalyst. We need something to 'join' the particles together, the pressing of the powder only won't work on most cases. Any help will be very much...
  27. R

    Effect of a Lindlar catalyst on an alkene?

    I know a Lindlar catalyst will cause syn addition of hydrogens to an alkyne and then stop at an alkene, but what about a molecule that has both an alkyne and an alkene in it to start. Is the alkene taken to an alkane or is it simply not affected? Thanks for your answers.
  28. M

    Catalyst effect on equilibria

    We are taught that adding a catalyst to an equilibrium system does not alter the position, just the rate of equilibrium attainment, because it increases the forward and backward rate by the same amount. Why and how can that be? The activation energies will be different for the forward and...
  29. W

    How the rate of heterogeneous reaction changes with the surface area of catalyst

    how the rate of heterogeneous reaction changes with the surface area of catalyst. can anyone tell me about the equation relating both quantities?
  30. S

    Effect of amount of catalyst in a reaction

    Does increasing the amount of mass of the catalyst increase the rate of reaction? I'm not sure as increasing the volume of one reagents doesn't increase the rate of reaction. But for a catalyst I'm not sure if it works the same way. If the catalyst is solid then the concentration will be...
  31. D

    What may be the negative catalyst?

    The reaction between sodium carbonate and calcium chloride gives the table salt and calcium carbonate. The reaction takes place immediately after mixing two solutions. Can anyone suggest me how the reaction can be slowed down? Thank in advance Peace Deb
  32. D

    H2o2 catalyst safety question

    Hello, I will be experimenting with hydrogen peroxide from 5-60% concentrations and small amounts of alkaline metals to measure how much gas is produced in under 5 min. I understand that hydrogen peroxide is a dangerous chemical if not handled right. My question is that on the MSDS it says that...
  33. K

    Catalyst work in thermodynamic way

    What the relationship between catalyst and thermodynamic. In activation energy as we know, it reduces the activation energy and what about thermodynamic way?
  34. J

    What is the role of catalyst in various reactions?

    There are many reactions in which i don't understand what the role of catalyst is. Reactions like hydrogenation of alkenes , use of Ni i understand - it kinda breaks the hydrogen-hydrogen bond and provide it for the alkene. In contact process i.e. SO2 + 1/2O2 ----> SO3 catalyst is V2O5. I...
  35. E

    Catalyst and hydrogen ionizition

    How exactly does a catalyst (platinum.. with carbon.. something?) removes the electron from a hydrogen atom? (that means that quite a lot of energy was given to the hydrogen atom and the electron and proton separately (and the two particle system together) has more energy now.) Does the energy...
  36. Z

    Effect of Catalyst on Equilibrium & Rate Constant

    Does a catalyst affect the equilibrium constant of a reaction too? I believe it affects both the equilibrium constant and rate constant.
  37. F

    2nd order differential equation for Catalyst

    Homework Statement There's a catalyst pellet in a reactor and I'm supposed to prove an equation for the maximum temperature which is: Tmax=Ts +[(-H)*(D*Cas)]/k Tmax= max temp, Ts = temp at catalyst surface, T=temperature, H=enthalpy of rxn, D=diffusivity, Cas= concentration at...
  38. L

    Understanding Exothermic Reaction with a Catalyst - Tim's Questions

    I don't really understand about catalysts... I am thinking about an exothermic reaction in the presance of a catalyst. My understanding was that the catalyst lowers the energy threshold for the reactants to commence reacting. ( I think that was gotten from shell theory and bonding energys )...
  39. C

    Nitration of Benzene w/ H2SO4 & HNO3 at 55°C

    In the nitration of benzene using conc. H2SO4 and HNO3 at 55 degrees celsius, is concentrated H2SO4 a catalyst for the reaction?
  40. S

    How Does Platinum Affect the Burning Rate of Gasoline?

    Is there a way to determine how quickly gasoline or something else would burn at a specific temperature with a specific amount of platinum and oxygen present? Or at what temperature it will auto-ignite at with a certain amount of oxygen and platinum present?
  41. S

    Is a H2O-N2 to H2-N2O Catalyst Possible?

    How silly is this? Catalysts work as sort of small chemical reactors - they react with molecule of substance one and then the molecule of substance two is brought in the reaction so those two can react now creating one or more new molecules as a final result and also, by the way...
  42. F

    Water recombination catalyst

    Hello everybody! I am working on bubble formation issue in electroosmotic pumps. Those bubble are formed by water electrolysis on platinium electrode and I am searching for catalyst for water recombination compatible with biological applications to at least slow down the bubble formation...
  43. C

    Which catalyst is the best for the reaction betweeen Aluminum metal and HCl?

    1. I need to know which compound out of Copper Sulfate, sodium chloride, potassium iodide and magnesium sulfate will be the best catalyst for the reaction between ALuminum metal and Hydrochloric acid. 2. The chemical equation is : 2Al(s) + 6HCl(aq) -> 2AlCl3(aq) + 3H2(g) 3. I...
  44. T

    Lack of Lewis Catalyst for Bromination (Halogenation)

    I recently did an organic chem lab in which we brominated acetanilide. Now the benzene group had an acetamido group attached to it, which is less powerful activator than an amide (NH2) group but still directs to the ortho and para positions. I can understand that due to steric hindrance...
  45. marcus

    New catalyst may impact energy storage (MIT, electrolysis)

    this EurekAlert page links to a MIT press release describing the operation of the new catalyst and potential applications http://search.eurekalert.org/e3/query.html?qt=Nocera&col=ev3rel&qc=ev3rel&x=12&y=16 Dan Nocera is the main person responsible. Here's a ScienceDaily account...
  46. T

    Suiltible catalyst or alternative for obtaining potassium

    i have a whole bunch of potassium chloride and will be getting more soon. ive been attempting to obtain pure potassium by electrolysing the molten potassium chloride. so far ihave tried using a car battery, 12v-45a and a 15v-u/k amperage lithium-polymer battery charger(which I've also used...
  47. W

    What's a good catalyst for the reaction

    Mg (s) + 2HCl (aq) - > MgCl2 (aq) + H2 (g) I'm looking for a catalyst. Any suggestion?
  48. D

    Calculating Pressure of CO & O2 System w/ Catalyst

    Hi. Heres the question: A 6L flask containing carbon monoxide at 200kPa is connected by a closed stopcock to a 3L flask containing oxygen gas at 800kPa. If the stopcock is opened, calculate the pressure of the system, assuming constant temperature. a) if no chemical reaction occurs b)...
  49. I

    Sunlight a catalyst for vitamin C oxidation?

    hi can someone please help me with this question "does sunlight affect oxidation of vitamin C" I have seen this as a common science fair topic and I have also done an experiment myself and have found that it does speed up vitamin C oxidation, But I don't know why! can someone please help me...
  50. B

    Unlocking Nature's Hydrogen: An Inexpensive Metal Catalyst

    I have heard about this metal catalyst which splits hydrogen and oxygen on interacting with water. i was a bit surprised when i came to know that this is a cheap metal and readily available. Can you give me the name of the metal catalyst so that i can conduct expt in my labs.
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