What is the Difference Between Catalyst and Intermediate?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between a catalyst and an intermediate is their role and status in a chemical reaction. Here are the key distinctions between the two:
- Catalyst: A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up or consumed in the process. Catalysts often react with one or more reactants to produce intermediates, providing the ultimate reaction product and renewing the catalyst in the process. Catalysts are stable compounds that are present in both the reactants of the first step and the products of the last step.
- Intermediate: An intermediate is a molecular unit generated from reactants that interacts further to produce the final products of a chemical reaction. Intermediates are highly unstable and are not present as reactants in the first step or as products in the last step of the reaction. They are produced during the course of the reaction and consumed in the subsequent steps.
To summarize, a catalyst is a substance that speeds up a reaction without being consumed, while an intermediate is a temporary, unstable molecular unit generated during the reaction and consumed in the subsequent steps.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Catalyst and Intermediate? Comparative Table: Catalyst vs Intermediate
Comparative Table: Catalyst vs Intermediate
Here is a table comparing the differences between a catalyst and an intermediate:
| Catalyst | Intermediate |
|---|---|
| A catalyst is a chemical compound that increases the rate of a reaction without itself being consumed. | An intermediate is a molecule that forms from two or more reactants and undergoes further reactions. |
| Catalysts are stable. | Intermediates are highly unstable. |
| A catalyst is added at the beginning of the reaction and is present in both the reactants and products of the first step. | Intermediates are created during the reaction, typically between the first and last steps, and are not present in the overall chemical equation. |
| A catalyst is consumed by a step but regenerated by a later step. | An intermediate is created by a step but consumed by a later step. |
In summary, a catalyst is a chemical compound that helps increase the rate of a reaction without being consumed, while an intermediate is a temporary molecule formed during the reaction and does not exist at the end of the reaction.
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