Catalyst

Introduction

A Catalyst is a substance that can alter the rate of the reaction. It can either slow down a reaction as per requirement, or they can increase the rate of reaction. All of this is done without the substance (catalyst) being consumed.

A material is called a chemical catalyst because these types of catalysts cause a chemical reaction to occur in a different way as it would have if no catalyst were added. An example  can induce a reaction between reactants to occur at a quicker pace or at a lower temperature than would otherwise be feasible. Catalysts can be grouped into two categories: Inorganic catalysts and Organic catalysts.

Types of Catalysts:

Catalysts are primarily categorised into two types. They are 

1) Inorganic 

2) Organic

• Inorganic Catalyst

Inorganic catalysts are substances that do not occur naturally in biological processes. Atomic or say metals and other inorganic substances are among them. These catalysts accelerate chemical processes without changing their structure.

• Organic Catalyst

The famous word or term coined as “organo-catalyst” refers to organic catalysts. Carbon, hydrogen, and many other elements take sulphur for example are non-metal elements found in them. 

Another form of organic catalysts engaged in biological chemical reactions are biocatalysts, such as proteins and enzymes. They, like inorganic catalysts, remain in their original state once the reaction is finished.

Examples of Inorganic Catalysts

• Relationships

Assume a person x introduced his two friends y and z. In the due course of time, y and z became friends. So the person x will be called the catalyst for y and z’s relationship, as he was the one who sparked this friendship. 

• Legal change

A person x was constantly discriminated against his entire life. One day he decided to rise against his concern in the face of the law and made the generation realise that he was facing injustice and thus the law was amended. In this situation, person x acted as a catalyst in legal change.

• Sports

Suppose a person p is benched the whole game of soccer and his team has been losing the championship matches continuously. Now when the person p was allowed to play in a real game and not be benched his team won the particular match. In this situation, he was the catalyst for winning the match for his team.

• Social change

Tony and his fellow mates saw a younger kid getting bullied. They stand up for the kid and start an anti-bullying group that looks out for bully problems on the playground. Soon, there is much less bullying at their school, making them the catalyst for change in the society for this particular case.

Examples of Organic Catalyst

• Proline 

Proline is a biosynthesized amino acid that may also be found in nature. It works as a catalyst in a variety of biological processes, including the Aldol condensation, which produces new organic molecules by forming carbon-carbon bonds.

• Diastase 

Diastase enzymes are the catalysts for digestion when you eat food that contains starch. They are found in saliva and break down starch into maltose, which the body can digest in the stomach.

• Lactase

Lactase enzymes are located in the small intestines of most people and begin the chemical breakdown of lactose from milk and dairy products. Lactose intolerance is caused by a lack of these enzymes, which prevents dairy products from being adequately digested.

• DNA polymerase

When DNA replicates, it must exactly reproduce the genetic sequence. When a cell divides, the enzyme DNA polymerase catalyses DNA synthesis. It copies DNA completely again and over with the help of other enzymes like helicase and primase.

• Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)

Alkaline phosphatase is a protein-degrading enzyme found in the liver, digestive system, and bones. It also helps with digestive and bone-building processes. A high level of alkaline phosphatase in the blood can signal a liver or bone disease, or it could just be a result of normal pregnancy and lactation processes.

These catalyst examples demonstrate how, in both chemistry and life, one action or one person may be the start of a greater change. It’s vital to note that the catalyst simply kicks off the reaction; more reactants are required for real transformation. More ways that chemistry impacts your daily life may be found in these common instances of chemical processes.

Catalysis

Catalysis is the process in which a catalyst acts and changes the rate of the reaction, maybe slower as we know it as catalyst poisoning or may increase the rate of the reaction as we normally use catalysts for.

In chemistry, catalysis is the addition of a material that is not consumed during the reaction to change the rate of a chemical reaction, generally an acceleration. The velocities at which chemical reactions occur are determined by a variety of factors, including the chemical composition of the reacting species and the environmental circumstances to which they are exposed. Catalysis, or the acceleration of chemical reactions by chemicals that are not consumed in the events themselves—substances known as catalysts—is a particular phenomenon connected with the speeds of chemical reactions that is of enormous theoretical and practical relevance.

Theoretically, catalysis is interesting because it exposes something about the underlying nature of chemical reactions; in practice, catalysis is essential since many industrial processes rely on catalysts to work. Fundamentally, life as we know it would not be conceivable without the biological catalysts known as enzymes.

Conclusion

Catalysts have become an integral part of our lives. If used wisely, it can do wonders to help us from day-to-day household chores to their huge industrial applications. Anything can be a catalyst if someone is making something happen with a difference in rate.