CATALYST : An agent which affects or effects a chemical reaction
by its presence in the reaction mass (other than by dissolving or dispersing
the reactants) generally being recoverable from the products as if it did not
enter into the reaction and merely provided the impetus for reaction of other materials.
While it was originally thought that a catalyst did not enter the reaction and instead
provided sites at which the reactants, per se, interacted, it is understood now
that at least some transitory intermediates may involve the catalyst. The
catalyst, however does not contribute substance to the desired final product
even though it may remain inseparable from such product.
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