Question
How does a catalyst differ from reaction intermediate?

Answer

  • A catalyst accelerates the rate of reaction, while reaction intermediate has no effect on the rate of the reaction.
  • The catalyst is always present at the start of the reaction whereas reaction intermediate is produced during the mechanism of the reaction.
  • A catalyst is consumed in one of the steps of mechanism and regenerated in a subsequent step while the reaction intermediate is formed in one step and consumed in subsequent step.
  • The catalyst is stable but the reaction intermediate is unstable and short lived.

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