PROMOTERS AND POISONS, TYPES OF CATALYSTS

Explanation

Promoters and Poisons, Types of Catalysts

Introduction

In chemistry, a catalyst is an agent hat changes (slow or fast) the rate of a reaction without itself being used in the reaction. The reactions that make use of a catalyst is known as catalysis. Be cautious about this distinction when perusing chemistry material; a catalyst (plural "catalysts") is a physical substance, yet catalysis (plural "catalyzes") is a process.

A simple idea of the classes of catalysts is a useful starting point in learning systematic chemistry and understanding what happens at the sub-atomic level when you combine substances and a reaction occurs. Catalysts and their associated catalytic reactions are of three types: homogeneous catalysts, heterogeneous catalysts and biocatalysts (usually called enzymes). Less normal yet significant types of catalyst activities incorporate photocatalysis, ecological catalysis and green reactant processes.

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