Catalyzing

Catalyzing refers to the act of enabling or accelerating a chemical reaction by a substance known as a catalyst, which is not consumed in the overall reaction. In chemistry and biochemistry, a catalyst provides an alternative reaction pathway that has a lower activation energy, allowing reactants to convert to products more rapidly under given conditions. The catalyst itself remains unchanged at the end of the reaction and may be regenerated or reused.

Catalysis can be categorized by the phase relationship between catalyst and reactants: homogeneous catalysis, where the catalyst and reactants are in the same phase; heterogeneous catalysis, where the catalyst is in a different phase (often a solid surface) than the reactants; and biocatalysis, in which biological molecules such as enzymes serve as catalysts. Autocatalysis describes a reaction in which one of the products acts as a catalyst for the same reaction.

Common examples illustrate the range of catalysis. Enzymes are highly specific biocatalysts that enable vital processes such as digestion and metabolism. Industrial catalysis relies on solid catalysts like iron for ammonia synthesis, and zeolites or platinum group metals for hydrocarbon processing. Strong acid or base catalysts also accelerate many transformations in chemical manufacturing.

Catalysis is evaluated by metrics such as turnover number and turnover frequency, which quantify how many substrate molecules a catalyst can convert per active site per cycle. Selectivity, including chemoselectivity, regioselectivity, and enantioselectivity, defines which products are formed.

Catalysis underpins much of modern chemistry by enabling higher yields, lower energy consumption, and reduced waste, contributing to more sustainable chemical processes and energy conversion systems.