Catalysts
I can describe how catalysts, including enzymes, speed up chemical reactions.
Catalysts
I can describe how catalysts, including enzymes, speed up chemical reactions.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- A catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up or chemically changed.
- Catalysts are specific to particular reactions; different reactions require different catalysts.
- Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up reactions in living cells.
Keywords
Catalyst - a chemical that speeds up the rate of a reaction without itself being used up
Enzyme - a biological catalyst that speeds up reactions in living things
Chemical reaction - when atoms are rearranged to make new products and changes can be observed e.g. bubbles of gas forming
Common misconception
The catalyst is one of the reactants and gets used up during the reaction.
Emphasise that the chemical reaction will take place without the catalyst but at a very slow rate.
To help you plan your year 9 science lesson on: Catalysts, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 science lesson on: Catalysts, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When magnesium reacts with acid, hydrogen gas is produced which we can collect in a test tube. To test if it is hydrogen, we hold a burning splint to the test tube and hear a .
Q2.Some metals, like gold and platinum, are found in their native state in nature, and nothing much happens when other chemicals are added. We call these metals very .
Q3.The higher the position of a metal in the reactivity series, the more it is likely to react.
Q4.The thermite reaction needs a bit of input of energy before it starts, but then releases energy and is so that it can weld railway lines.
Q5.Some reactions are slow, whereas other reactions are much faster. Hydrogen and oxygen do not react with each other spontaneously. What would it need to make them react?
Q6.Metal A is more reactive than metal B. What type of reaction would take place if metal A is added to a solution of a salt of metal B?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Some substances simply do not react with each other, e.g. platinum and water. In others you can see a spontaneous reaction but it is very slow: e.g. of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen.
Q2.Metals and metal salts are good catalysts. This is not just because there are so many metals. They have specific characteristics, or , that make them so suitable as catalysts.
Q3.A catalytic converter efficiently converts unwanted combustion products (e.g. CO, C, NOx) into CO$$_2$$ and N$$_2$$. Why are these two gases preferred over the other substances?
Q4.Why do living cells bother changing hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen, and why do they use a catalyst?
Q5.Match the following key terms to their definition.
catalyst -
a chemical that speeds up rate of a reaction without being used up
chemical reaction -
when atoms are rearranged, and changes can be observed e.g. bubbles
decomposition reaction -
type of reaction when a reactant breaks down into two or more products
enzyme -
a biological catalyst that speeds up reactions in living things
Q6.Why is the lock and key model a good model of an enzyme?