The process by which a substance speeds up a chemical reaction
without being consumed or altered in the process. Substances that can accomplish
this remarkable feat are termed catalysts and are of immense importance in chemistry
and biology.
A ll enzymes are catalysts that expedite the biochemical reactions necessary
for life. The enzymes in saliva, for example, accelerate the conversion of starch
to glucose, doing in minutes what would otherwise take weeks.
The word "catalyst" was introduced into science by the great Swedish chemist
Jons Jakob Berzelius (1779-1848) who also determined the atomic and molecular weights
of thousands of substances, discovered several elements including selenium, first
isolated silicon and titanium, and created the present system of writing chemical
symbols and reactions.
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