What is the difference between inhibitor and catalyst

Enzymes are large protein molecules with the so-called active center, which is usually a molecule of not protein nature or an ion of metal chemically connected to protein. Enzymes have an outstanding activity , accelerating reactions billions and trillions times at room temperature.

At high temperatures they lose activity as protein molecule denaturates. Besides, enzymes are characterized by extreme selectivity , catalyzing only specified reactions and only in a very narrow range of conditions i.

It is due to their shape which reagents should match - it's like a key and a lock. The catalysts work by reducing the activation energy of reaction. Do you want to know about it more in detail? Many catalysts does not simply accelerate reactions, but lead them in the another way. So, the reaction of oxidation of ammonia without the catalyst proceeds as:. Inhibitors , on the contrary, increase energy of activation of reaction.

What is Catalyst 3. What is Inhibitor 4. Catalyst is a chemical compound that can increase the rate of a reaction without itself being consumed. Therefore, this compound can continue to act repeatedly. Due to this reason, only a small amount of catalyst is required for a certain chemical reaction. The catalyst provides an alternative pathway for a chemical reaction by reducing the activation energy of a reaction.

Here, the catalyst combines with the reactant to create an intermediate product, and after the completion of the required reaction, the catalyst leaves the intermediate and regenerates. There are two types of catalysts as homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. In homogeneous catalysts, the molecules are in the same phase as reactant molecules. However, in heterogeneous catalysts, the molecules are in a different phase to that of reactant molecules. Enzymes are a good example of biological catalysts.

An inhibitor is a chemical compound that can either stop or decrease the reaction rate of a chemical reaction. Moreover, this compound can reduce the activity of a catalyst as well. Unlike catalysts, these compounds do not provide a reaction pathway to reduce the activation energy.