In chemistry and biology, catalysis is the acceleration (increase in rate) of a chemical reaction by means of a substance, called a catalyst, that is itself not consumed by the overall reaction.

A catalyst decreases the activation energy of a chemical reaction.

Catalysts participate in reactions but are neither reactants nor products of the reaction they catalyze.

An exception is the process of autocatalysis where the product of a reaction helps to accelerate the same reaction.

They work by providing an alternative pathway for the reaction to occur, thus reducing the activation energy and increasing the reaction rate.

For more information about the topic Catalysis, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Autocatalysis — A single chemical reaction is said to have undergone autocatalysis, or be autocatalytic, if the reaction product is itself the catalyst for that ...  > read more

Raney nickel — Raney nickel is a solid catalyst composed of fine grains of a nickel-aluminium alloy, used in many industrial ...  > read more

Redox — Redox reactions include all chemical processes in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. Substances that have the ability ...  > read more

Catalytic converter — A catalytic converter is a device used to reduce the emissions from an internal combustion engine. Most commonly used in an automobile's exhaust ...  > read more

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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