Catalysts
Science: KS3, topic 2.7.5
Catalysts
A catalyst will make a chemical reaction happen quicker.
Rates of reaction
- The rate of a chemical reaction is how fast reactants are turned into products.
- Chemical reactions happen over a wide range of speeds.
What do catalysts do?
- A catalyst is usually a solid chunk of metal that can be dropped into a reaction mixture.
- Catalysts make the reactants turn into products faster than they would naturally.
- A catalyst is not used up in a reaction.
Why are catalysts useful?
- Catalysts are useful to chemical manufacturers for making more chemicals each day.
- Catalysts can save time, money and energy.
- Catalysts are specific for certain reactions.
- An example of a catalyst is iron in the reaction that makes ammonia (which is used in fertiliser).
- Other metals would not speed up this reaction.
Test yourself on Catalysts
What does a catalyst do?
Which of the following are true of catalysts?
What happens to a catalyst in a reaction?
A factory uses iron to catalyse the reaction that makes ammonia. What would most likely happen if they used a different metal instead?
Reaction A turns all its reactants into products in 2 seconds. Reaction B takes 2 hours to do the same thing. Which reaction has the faster rate of reaction?