catalitico

Catalitico refers to substances and processes that accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed in the overall process. A catalyst provides an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy, allowing more molecular collisions to succeed at a given temperature. Catalysis thus changes the kinetics of a reaction rather than its thermodynamics.

Catalysis can be categorized by the phase of the catalyst. Heterogeneous catalysis uses a solid catalyst with gas or liquid reactants; homogeneous catalysis employs a catalyst in the same phase as the reactants; biocatalysis uses enzymes or other biological molecules to drive reactions with high specificity and mild conditions.

Applications of catalitico span environmental, industrial, and biological contexts. Catalytic converters reduce harmful emissions in automobiles by transforming toxic gases into less harmful substances. The Haber-Bosch process for ammonia synthesis uses iron catalysts; the contact process for sulfuric acid uses vanadium(V) oxide. Hydrogenation, oxidation, and polymerization frequently rely on metal or acid catalysts, while biocatalysis enables selective transformations in pharmaceuticals and food chemistry.

Key performance measures include turnover number and turnover frequency, as well as selectivity and yield. Catalysts can be deactivated by poisoning, fouling, or sintering, necessitating regeneration or replacement. Catalyst design also considers stability, resistance to impurities, and ease of recovery and recycling.

Historically, the term catalysis was introduced in the 1830s by Jons Jakob Berzelius to describe agents that accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed. Since then, catalitico has become a central concept in chemistry, chemical engineering, and related fields.