Catalyst (Gr. Catalysis - Dissolution)

A catalyst is a substance that regulates the rate of a chemical reaction, but does not affect its equilibrium and is not consumed during the reaction.

A catalyst can either speed up or slow down a chemical reaction. Acceleration of the reaction occurs due to the fact that the catalyst reduces the activation energy - the minimum energy required to start the reaction. In this case, the catalyst does not affect the activation energy of the final reaction products.

Thus, the catalyst provides an alternative reaction path with a lower activation energy. This allows you to accelerate the achievement of a state of chemical equilibrium. Once the reaction is complete, the catalyst remains unchanged and can be used in subsequent reactions.

Catalysts are widely used in industry to optimize the speed of chemical processes. In addition, many enzymes in living organisms are biological catalysts that accelerate biochemical reactions.