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What are the characteristics of a catalyst?
Posted July 25, 2024

Answer

Notable characteristics of catalyst: 

  • A catalyst does not initiate a chemical reaction. It makes reaction processes easier and more efficient, which increases the reaction rate. 
  • The catalyst itself is not consumed in the process. Its mass and chemical composition remain unaltered through the reaction. 
  • It can regenerate after facilitating the production of the final product of the reaction. 
  • A catalyst may be in the same or different phase as that of the reactants. 
  • It has high specificity and can selectively choose the most efficient way for a reaction to proceed. 
  • Because a catalyst remains unaltered and can regenerate at the end of the reaction, it is needed in very small quantities to catalyze a reaction.  
  • A catalyst attains peak effectiveness at its optimum temperature, slowing down with an increase or decrease in temperature away from its optimum. 
  • pH of a solution affects the catalyst’s performance, with peak efficiency pH ranges between 5 and 7.