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How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2020 7:50 am
by Baoying Li 1B
Hey. How do you distinguish the intermediates and catalysts by looking at the reactions? What should be appeared in the overall reaction?

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2020 8:01 am
by Rebekah Alfred 1J
This video might help you understand how to distinguish between intermediates and catalysts:
https://www.brightstorm.com/science/chemistry/chemical-reaction-rates/tips-on-differentiating-between-a-catalyst-and-an-intermediate/

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2020 8:17 am
by BNgo_2L
Intermediates are first seen as products and then are used as a reactant for another step. Catalysts are used first as reactants to speed up a mechanism and then reappear as products as they are never consumed in a reaction (used up and then reform). The overall reaction equation should only include those that aren't intermediates nor catalysts as the appearance of intermediates and catalysts as both reactants and products will cancel them out.

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:06 am
by Nikki Razal 1L
Intermediates are produced and then consumed, and catalysts are consumed and then (re)produced

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:12 am
by ELu 1J
You'll find that intermediates are the product of the first reaction step and then the reactant of the second reaction step - that is why it's called an intermediate because it ties the two steps together for the overall reaction. For a catalyst, it appears as a reactant and is not consumed in the reaction so it will appear as a product of the same reaction.

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:22 am
by Michael Nguyen 1E
An intermediate will first appear as a product and then appear again as a reactant. Catalysts are the opposite. They will first appear as a reactant and then appear again as a product. Note than neither intermediates nor reactants will show up in the overall balanced equation.

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:23 am
by Christine Honda 2I
A catalyst is always regenerated!

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2020 7:49 pm
by Cole Woulbroun 1J
While an intermediate is produced then consumed, a catalyst is consumed then regenerated.

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2020 6:49 am
by smurphy1D
A catalyst in consumed first, whereas an intermediate is produced fist.

Re: How to distinguish the intermediates and catalysts?

Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2022 3:08 pm
by Riya Sawhney 1C
Intermediates and catalysts both are not present in the overall reaction. They are not in the rate law.

Catalysts are initially present in the environment, and are first consumed. Therefore we first see them as a reactant in our chemical equations. Then they are later produced again. Intermediates are initially not present, and are first produced, so we first see them as products. However, they are not the final products, and are consumed as reactants in another stage of the reaction.