Catalyst and Intermediate

[PeterTran1C]

In a mechanism reaction, can you ideally have both catalysts at the beginning and intermediates throughout the same reaction?

[Cooper1C]

A catalyst does not change the reactants and products of a reaction - it just changes the pathway. So you should be able to have catalysts and intermediates in the same reaction.

[Angel R Morales Dis1G]

Yeah, a catalyst will be used in the first step and be regenerated in the last step, whereas an intermediate is formed in the first step and used in the second step. In other words, the intermediate will be cancelled out whereas the catalyst will not. You will be able to see and use both of them.

[kaushalrao2H]

catalysts are not used up in the reaction, so you will see the catalyst in BOTH the product and reactant sides of the chemical equations. intermediates, on the other hand, so not appear in the chemical reaction equation.

[Joyce Gu 1E]

yes, they can show up in the same reaction, but just don't show up in the end product

[Guangyu Li 2J]

Yes. It is really easy to confuse these two ideas. Reaction intermediate is a molecule that plays a role in the reactions but does not appear in the overall reaction equation. On the other hand, the catalyst is a molecule that speeds up the chemical reactions by providing an optional pathway, or more specifically, decreasing the activation energy required to reach the energy barrier.

So in the realistic reactions, you will find that catalyst is always consistent with its original amount during the chemical reaction, but intermediate only appears in one or several steps in the reaction except for the overall equation.

Hope this helps! Good luck in the Final!