Surbhi Dahiya

As we hear about the catalysts, the thought of chemical reactions gushes into our minds. It brings a narrative of differentiating and tough reactions taking place in a complex chemical laboratory by some chemist wearing a white lab coat, protective glasses, gloves and carrying a load of risk! However, the process of catalysis can be seen in a very simplified way. If I were to say that all the enzymes are catalysts, and our body deals with these enzymes daily, hearing this becomes relaxing! This means chemical reactions are part and parcel of our lives, and so are enzymes, which are some kind of catalysts.

Enzymes are organic biocatalysts that have a high molecular weight globular protein. They alter the reaction rates and help in converting the substrate into the product. Since they are organic in nature, they contain C-H (carbon-hydrogen) and C-C (carbon-carbon) bonds. The best examples of these biocatalysts are lipase, amylase, lactase, etc. The artificial catalysts alter the rate of reaction and can be inorganic in nature…read more on NOPR