CATALYSIS

catalysis, contact action

(noun) acceleration of a chemical reaction induced the presence of material that is chemically unchanged at the end of the reaction; “of the top 50 commodity chemicals, 30 are created directly by catalysis and another 6 are made from raw materials that are catalytically produced”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

catalysis (countable and uncountable, plural catalyses)

(chemistry) The increase of the rate of a chemical reaction, induced by a catalyst.

Source: Wiktionary


Ca*tal"y*sis, n.; pl. Catalyse. Etym: [ML., fr. Gr.

1. Dissolution; degeneration; decay. [R.] Sad catalysis and declension of piety. Evelyn.

2. (Chem.) (a) A process by which reaction occurs in the presence of certain agents which were formerly believed to exert an influence by mere contact. It is now believed that such reactions are attended with the formation of an intermediate compound or compounds, so that by alternate composition and decomposition the agent is apparenty left unchanged; as, the catalysis of making ether from alcohol by means of sulphuric acid; or catalysis in the action of soluble ferments (as diastase, or ptyalin) on starch. (b) The catalytic force.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

16 January 2025

BOOK

(noun) a collection of rules or prescribed standards on the basis of which decisions are made; “they run things by the book around here”


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Coffee Trivia

The world’s most expensive coffee costs more than US$700 per kilogram. Asian palm civet – a cat-like creature in Indonesia, eats fruits, including select coffee cherries. It excretes partially digested seeds that produce a smooth, less acidic brew of coffee called kopi luwak.

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