I would like to ask whether the catalyst is involved in the synthesis reaction or not

What’s the point of not using it in experiments? It’s like not working and just eating simple meals in the cafeteria every day

This post was last edited by sjxx30 on 2010-6-26 22:40. The definition of a catalyst in chemistry textbooks: A catalyst, also known as a catalyzer, is a substance that participates in chemical reactions without undergoing any changes in mass or chemical properties during those reactions; its role is to alter the rate of chemical reactions. In other words, the catalyst participates in chemical reactions, but it does not undergo any chemical changes itself; it does not produce any other substances, and its role is merely to alter the rate of those chemical reactions.

Generally, they are involved in chemical reactions, only to be reduced back to their original state after the reaction

Let’s discuss further – progressing together as students*

The catalyst first reacts with one of the reactants, and then the products of these two reactions proceed to undergo further chemical reactions under the original conditions; however, the reaction conditions for the products resulting from the catalyst’s reaction are different from those of the original reactants. The substance that was originally formed as a result of a chemical reaction in the catalyst can be used to regenerate the original catalyst in subsequent reactions; in other words, its mass and chemical properties remain unchanged before and after the reaction.

A catalyst is defined as a substance that participates in chemical reactions without its physical and chemical properties changing. The purpose of a catalyst is to change the rate of a chemical reaction.

I’ll say a few words too; I can’t stand it any longer. Everyone has moved on to the methanol section; let’s talk about the reaction involving methanol. Currently, the components of methanol catalysts include copper oxide, zinc oxide, and aluminum oxide. As for the reaction itself, methanol is produced by the combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. If a reaction is to occur, the appropriate conditions must be met. The role of a catalyst is to alter the conditions of a chemical reaction; for example, without a catalyst, a reaction would require higher temperatures and pressures to take place, while with a catalyst, the reaction can occur at lower pressures or temperatures. Now, let’s talk about the role of the components in the methanol catalyst: copper carries carbon monoxide, zinc carries hydrogen, and then a reaction takes place to produce methanol, which is subsequently desorbed into the gas phase. Alumina acts as a spacer. In this reaction, the catalyst does not participate in the reaction; it merely acts as a carrier to accelerate the formation of methanol by enabling the various components in the gas to react on the catalyst. If the catalyst is involved in the reaction, then I would like to ask everyone: what is formed from the copper in the catalyst in the end?

This post was last edited by fossil-zhang on 2010-7-20 at 20:26. I didn’t want to say anything, but since those above can’t stand it and I can’t stand it either, I’ll talk about it. To address this question, it is necessary not only to understand the nature and principles of catalysis but also to consider how chemical reactions are defined; strictly speaking, a chemical reaction occurs whenever there is an transfer of electrons. Take the methanol synthesis reaction as an example: although the reaction equation seems simple, its mechanism is quite complex. For the Cu-Zn-Al catalysts commonly used in industry, the active centers are metallic copper (or together with zinc oxide); carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and water chemisorb onto these active centers of the catalyst (such as copper atoms). (This process involves electron transfer and can be considered a chemical interaction or reaction.) Subsequently, these reactants in their chemisorbed state undergo various reaction steps to ultimately produce methanol. Since the reactants are chemisorbed on the active centers, their energy levels decrease, which reduces the reaction barrier and speeds up the reaction rate. After the reaction, the product detaches from the catalyst’s active site, exposing the site again, which then re-adsorbs the reactants. This is the entire catalytic reaction process. It sounds simple; in reality, the process is quite complex, but the basic steps are as follows. So, I think the catalyst is still involved in the chemical reaction here. Simply put, it is as follows: M+A+B=M-A+M-B=M-A-B=M+A-B. M is the catalyst active center (such as a copper atom), A and B are the reactants, A-B is the product, while M-A, M-B, and M-A-B represent the adsorbed reactants and product respectively. It can be seen from this equation that M participates in the chemical reaction, but remains unchanged before and after the reaction; this is the essence of catalysis. As for the claim mentioned above that copper can carry carbon monoxide and zinc can carry hydrogen, it only takes into account the surface aspects without considering the deeper-level effects. It was said upstairs that in this reaction, the catalyst does not participate in the reaction itself; it merely acts as a carrier to accelerate the formation of methanol, allowing the various components in the gas to react on the catalyst. Then I would like to ask, how can the carrier role of a catalyst accelerate the reaction?