catalyst

Introduction

catalyst, substance that can cause a change in the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed in the reaction; the changing of the reaction rate by use of a catalyst is called catalysis. Substances that increase the rate of reaction are called positive catalysts or, simply, catalysts, while substances that decrease the rate of reaction are called negative catalysts or inhibitors.

Sections in this article:

Introduction
Laboratory and Industrial Catalysts
Enzymes: Natural Catalysts
Mechanism of Catalysis

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Chemistry: General