Definition
A Catalyst is a substance that has the ability to increase the rate of a chemical reaction without changing itself or alter itself by the reacting chemicals or being consume is a catalyst.
The actions that a catalyst performs is called catalysis. The reactions or processes would be relatively slow sometimes.
In other words, catalysts are useful to chemists as chemical reactions speed up take a long time to complete.
However, the exact function of catalytic actions that involve catalyst are not completely known yet.
Therefore they reacts together with the chemicals compounds forming a temporary new substance or forms a complex with the substance
However, the catalyst emerges in its original form at the end or completion of the process.
Classification of Catalyst
Additionally they can occur in one or more forms; they may be gases, liquids, or solids, and their catalytic activity is classified as either homogeneous or heterogeneous.
A homogeneous catalyst is one where the molecules disperse in the same phase (usually gaseous or liquid) as the reacting chemicals.
Conversely, in a heterogeneous form is one whose molecules do not disperse in the same phase as the reacting chemicals.
In Heterogeneous catalysts they occur mostly in solid form, and the reacting chemicals are usually liquids or gases that adsorbed onto the surface of the catalyst.
Good solid catalysts are having the property of being usually highly porous, with surface areas of several hundred square meters per gram.
Lastly, Palladium and finely divided platinum in an automobile’s catalytic converter, for instance , they efficiently convert exhaust pollutants into nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water.
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