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CATALYST
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Something that causes an important event to happen
Example:
the invasion acted as a catalyst to unite the country
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("catalyst" is a kind of...):
causal agency; causal agent; cause (any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("catalyst" is a kind of...):
activator ((biology) any agency bringing about activation; a molecule that increases the activity of an enzyme or a protein that increases the production of a gene product in DNA transcription)
Domain category:
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "catalyst"):
biocatalyst (a biochemical catalyst such as an enzyme)
enzyme (any of several complex proteins that are produced by cells and act as catalysts in specific biochemical reactions)
platinum black (a fine black powder of platinum; used as a catalyst in chemical reactions)
Antonym:
anticatalyst ((chemistry) a substance that retards a chemical reaction or diminishes the activity of a catalyst)
Derivation:
catalyze (change by catalysis or cause to catalyze)
Context examples:
We use catalysts in many aspects of everyday life because they generate chemical reactions that would not otherwise be possible.
(Scientists successfully deliver “Trojan horse” catalysts into cancerous tumour cells to destroy them from within, Universities of Granada)
Interactions between the catalyst and the host material need to be deepened as well as studies into the long-term stability of the photocatalyst in the outdoor environment.
(Smog-eating graphene composite reduces atmospheric pollution, University of Cambridge)
Nickel sulfide is used in lithium batteries, as a catalyst in the petrochemical industry and is used in the manufacture of silicate-oxide nickel ores.
(Nickel Sulfide, NCI Thesaurus)
Nickelocene is used as a catalyst and as a complexing agent.
(Nickelocene, NCI Thesaurus)
It is prepared by heating phthalic anhydride and resorcinol over a zinc catalyst, and it crystallizes as a deep red powder.
(Fluorescein, NCI Thesaurus)
Nickel hydroxide is used in nickel-cadmium batteries and as a catalyst in chemical reactions.
(Nickel Hydroxide, NCI Thesaurus)
Nickel compounds are used in industry for electroplating, nickel-alloy production, stainless steel production, in batteries, in electronics, in the ceramic industry and as catalysts.
(Nickel Compound, NCI Thesaurus)
Nickel carbonate is used in electroplating, to prepare nickel monoxide, to make colored glass and as a catalyst in the treatment of wastewater.
(Nickel Carbonate, NCI Thesaurus)
Beryllium metaphosphate is used in small amounts for special ceramic compositions and as a catalyst in organic reactions.
(Beryllium Metaphosphate, NCI Thesaurus)
The international team, led by the University of Cambridge, have found that in the brain, cholesterol acts as a catalyst which triggers the formation of the toxic clusters of the amyloid-beta protein, which is a central player in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
(Brain cholesterol associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, University of Cambridge)
