catalysts vs intermediates

[Ashley_Contreras_1J]

how do i identify a catalyst and intermediate given a reaction?

[Nicole Coulter]

To identify a catalyst it should be in the first reaction step in the reactants and in the products of another step (so it crosses out) and is not in the final reaction.
An intermediate is a product of the first reaction and is used by the second step, therefore also not appearing in the final reaction

[RyanShielsLec3]

It also should be noted that since intermediates are consumed as the reaction proceeds, they cannot be recovered unchanged and isolated at the end for the overall reaction, however, catalysts can be recovered unchanged.