BharatNotes Catalyst
noun (countable)Usage in a UPSC answer
The introduction of BS-VI fuel standards in India necessitated catalytic converters with platinum-palladium substrates that reduce vehicular NOx emissions by over 90% compared to BS-IV norms, exemplifying industrial catalysis in environmental regulation.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
catalyse/catalyze (verb), catalytic (adjective), catalysis (noun), catalytically (adverb), catalyser/catalyzer (noun)
Root
Greek katalysis = dissolution, from kata- = down, completely + lyein = to loosen, dissolve
Etymology
The word derives from Greek katalysis (dissolution), used by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1836 to describe substances that accelerate reactions without being consumed. He coined katalys from Greek kata- (down) and lyein (to loosen), metaphorically describing the 'loosening' of chemical bonds. The broader figurative sense — any person or event that precipitates change — entered English by the late 19th century.
Memory Hook
A catalyst loosens the path (kata + lyein = loosen down) — imagine a mountain shortcut that lets a hiker reach the valley faster without changing the mountain itself. The catalyst opens a shortcut but remains unchanged.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed by it. Biologically the catalysts are enzymes, and the property to state is that a catalyst lowers the activation energy required rather than changing the reaction's outcome or its equilibrium. That distinction matters, because a catalyst makes a possible reaction faster, not an impossible one possible.
Don’t Confuse It With
A catalyst speeds a reaction without being consumed. An enzyme is a biological catalyst, usually a protein. An inhibitor slows a reaction. A reactant is consumed in the reaction, which is precisely what a catalyst is not.
Hindi Meaning
उत्प्रेरक (utprerak); एंजाइम for enzyme.
Common Questions
- What is a catalyst?
- A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed in the process.
- Does a catalyst change the outcome of a reaction?
- No. It lowers the activation energy so the reaction proceeds faster, but it does not change the products or the position of equilibrium.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
