Chemistry GCSE
Catalyst
What Catalyst means in Chemistry GCSE, as defined for OCR, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Catalyst
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy, without being used up.
A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy, without being consumed in the process.
A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
Topics that use Catalyst
- Topic C4: Predicting and identifying reactions and products (OCR GCSE)
- Topic C5: Monitoring and controlling chemical reactions (OCR GCSE)
- Topic C6: Global challenges (OCR GCSE)
- Rates of reaction and energy changes (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- Activation Energy
- Dynamic Equilibrium
- Closed System
- Displacement Reaction
- Endothermic Reaction
- Exothermic Reaction
- Homologous series
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Using Catalyst in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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