Intermediate vs. Catalyst

[Gabriel Barcelona 2L]

How can you tell which species is an intermediate and which species is a catalyst? What is the difference between the two?

[Erin Brodnik]

An intermediate will be produced and then used up in a reaction, whereas a catalyst will be a part of the reactants but not the final overall equation.

[Brandon Li]

While they're both part of the reaction, catalysts are typically part of the reactants in the first step to start the reaction and intermediates are created as a product

[Denise Mora 1C]

A catalyst speeds the rate of the reaction by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to occur. An important thing to note about catalysts is that they are not consumed in the reaction. An intermediate is produced in one step of the reaction but used up and consumed in a subsequent step. An intermediate does not appear in the overall balanced reaction.

[Emily An 1L]

Catalyst is defined as the species which alter the rate of reaction, in other words, it can increase and decrease the rate of reaction. Intermediate is the species that form in the midway of mechanism, but doesn't appear in the final product.

[106062642]

Catalysts are materials that speed up a reaction by offering a different reaction pathway, whereas intermediates are temporary species that are created and absorbed during the reaction mechanism. While catalysts are not absorbed and are regenerated at the end of the reaction, intermediates are directly involved in the reaction pathway and are absorbed throughout the process.