Summary
Highlights
A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process. It must participate in the reaction but retains its original mass at the end.
Catalysts work by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy. This allows more molecules to possess the required energy for a reaction, leading to more frequent and fruitful collisions, thus increasing the reaction rate.
Catalysts are crucial in industrial manufacturing, especially for exothermic reactions where high temperatures can reduce yield. They are used in the Haber process (with iron as a catalyst, promoted by potassium oxide) to manufacture ammonia for fertilizers, and in the Contact process (with vanadium five oxide) to produce sulfuric acid for detergents and fertilizers. Catalytic converters in vehicles also use catalysts to convert toxic exhaust gases into harmless products.
In summary, catalysts accelerate chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy without being used up. Key applications include the Haber process, the Contact process, and catalytic converters.