Co-Authored By:
Most catalysts work by lowering the 'activation energy' of a reaction. This allows less energy to be used, thus speeding up the reaction. The opposite of a catalyst is an inhibitor. Inhibitors slow down reactions.
In respect to this, what is another term for a catalyst?
Another word for catalyst. Noun. A substance that permits or accelerates a chemical reaction. enzyme.
In this regard, what is catalyst in simple words?
A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction, but is not consumed by the reaction; hence a catalyst can be recovered chemically unchanged at the end of the reaction it has been used to speed up, or catalyze.
part of speech: noun. definition 1: a substance that produces or speeds up a chemical reaction without being affected itself. An enzyme is an organic catalyst.