Chemistry is a very vast and deep subject and having appropriate knowledge about it is very important if you want to have a career in the same. There exist a lot of elements that result in being important in chemistry and one of them is a supporter and enhancer of the reaction called a catalyst. Proper classification of a catalyst brings people towards a lot of aspects related to it and its different types detected as per the latest researches and findings. Let’s have a look at the below information for more details about a catalyst.
What is a Catalyst and What are its main Characteristics?
A catalyst is a chemical substance that accelerates the rate of any kind of reaction without actually participating in the reaction itself. The work of a catalyst is to speed up a particular reaction without changing its actual formation or result. With the help of a catalyst, a chemical reaction can get completed at a much advanced rate.
The various technology trends of catalysts are also very different from each other. Some catalysts react very rapidly in a reaction while the others have a habit of taking their own time. Also, some catalysts bring a particular color of the reactants at the end if they are added to the reaction. Such a reaction is recognized from the same color as its endpoint for better understanding.
Different Types of Catalysts revealed as per Latest Study:
The latest or new study reveals different types of catalysts & breaks the confusion that there exist varied types of catalysts that can be used in different chemical reactions as per the requirements. Some catalysts react very strongly and show immediate reaction results. While the others are a little slower in their actions and take some time to complete the reaction.
There primarily exist 3 types of catalysts that spread to many others as per the latest revealed report. These 3 types of catalysts can be listed in brief as follows-
Heterogeneous Catalyst:
Heterogeneous catalysts (as its name suggests) can undergo a reaction with different phase reactants. These catalysts work in the reaction even if one reactant is solid and the other is liquid or gaseous, or so on.
Enzymes:
Enzymes are the catalysts that are found usually in living organisms. They are in the form of proteins and constitute a wide range of constituents inside them. With every different action in the living body, one enzyme is released that accelerates the living actions.
Homogeneous Catalyst:
A homogeneous catalyst acts perfectly or is used in a reaction when the considered reactants are in the same state physically. This means that all the considered reactants should either be solid, liquid, or gaseous. Homogeneous does not work on different states of reactants, whether they are 2 or more.