Catalysis and Activation Energy

Most chemical reactions occur slowly. Chemical engineers look to create new chemicals in order to provide solutions to everyday problems. These chemists need to speed up these reactions. The chemists will use catalysts to accelerate the chemical reaction. The catalysts allow the reaction to be examined in a shorter period of time. To learn more about catalysts and bio-catalysts, called enzymes, view the video clip 1945 to Present - Catalysts and New Chemicals from eMediaVA^℠ . While you are watching the video, consider the following questions:

• How do chemical reactions move?
• Do chemical reactions occur quickly or slowly?
• How does a catalyst work?
• Can catalysts cause reactions at different rates?
• What is an enzyme?