Catalysts

[Aaron Akhavan-Dis1B]

Catalysts were only mentioned within zero order reactions? Can catalysts or enzymes be used in any order reaction or is it only exclusive to zero-order reactions. If so why is it only exclusive to them?

[Lillian Ma 1I]

I think that zero order reactions are the only ones that describe catalysts being used in a reaction. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it has to do with how zero order reactions only depend on k and not the concentrations, and how catalysts also don't depend on concentrations either. Hope this somewhat helped!

[Stuti Pradhan 2J]

Catalysts are mostly used with zero-order reactions because zero order reactions do not depend on the concentration of reactants, they only depend on the rate constant k, which is dictated by the catalyst. When the catalyst is saturated, that determines the rate of the reaction and k.

Hope this helps!

[Leo Naylor 2F]

Catalysts are associated with zero-order reactions because the presence of a catalyst or enzyme can mean that the rate of the reaction is independent of the concentration of the reactant, since regardless of the concentration of the reactant, the catalyst/enzyme is working as fast as possible (constant rate) to catalyze the reaction. I am not completely sure whether catalysts can be in other orders of reactions, but for the purposes of this class catalysts are associated with zero-order reactions.

[IanWheeler3F]

I think catalysts help reactions (any order) become so fast that they act like zero-order reactions, without them the order is probably higher. This has to do with the fact that catalysts have special shapes that can make reactions more likely to happen, so the new rate is essentially only dependent upon the capacity of the catalyst and the new reaction path it creates. I think the catalyst (im not sure of this though) makes a new mechanism where the reactants are not involved in the rate determining step. Like platinum adsorbs gases in catalytic converters and makes reactions like CO --> CO2 much more likely to happen, so the gases decrease in concentration only as fast as the catalyst can do so, which will look linear.

[Sai Ramadas 1J]

I do not believe that catalysts and enzymes are exclusively zero-order reactions. However, most do tend to be zero-order reactions. A zero-order reaction is one in which the reactant concentration doest not affect the rate of the reaction. When using a catalyst or enzyme, the reaction typically depends more on the concentration of the catalyst or enzyme, rather than the reactant, which is why they are typically zero-order reactions.

[aashmi_agrawal_3d]

I think catalysts are usually used in 0 order reactions because the concentrations of reactants and products do not affect the reaction.