Smart Facts – Catalysts
Ten fascinating facts about Catalysts to share with your Key Stage 3 students
- Catalysts are added to reactions to make them go faster. They are not used up in the reaction so can be used again and again
- A catalyst lowers the amount of energy needed so that a reaction can happen more easily. You can think of it like a bridge which allows a reaction to skip steps that need a lot of energy
- Negative catalysts or inhibitors decrease the rate of a reaction
- Your body contains many natural catalysts called enzymes. Enzymes help speed up chemical reactions like respiration and the digestion of foods
- Enzymes are specific. This means that each enzyme will only catalyse one type of reaction
- If your body temperature rises too high then your enzymes will change shape and stop working. This is called denaturation and when this happens important chemical reactions in the body stop and cells die
- Margarine is made by adding hydrogen gas to vegetable oil. This reaction needs a catalyst made from a metal called nickel to work
- Catalysts can help manufacturers save money. They help reactions to occur at lower temperatures, reducing energy costs
- In some reactions one of the products is a catalyst for the reaction; this is called self-catalysis or autocatalysis. Such reactions can be dangerous because reaction rate may increase to the point of explosion
- Some catalysts work by providing a surface for reactants to meet so collisions between particles are more likely to happen
What is Smart Science?
Written for the new 2014 Science Curriculum, Smart Science provides a flexible scheme of work that can be used to deliver either a 2 or 3 year Key Stage 3. If you’d like to see more, then check out these free Smart Science resources.
Exploring Catalysts this term with your students? Here are some more free resources: