Why is Heat a Catalyst?
Chemical reactions happen every day, but some of them require catalysts in order to occur. Even some of the most fundamental chemical reactions, such as in cooking, require the application of heat in order to work. This article examines how catalysts work and why heat is considered a catalyst.
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Significance
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Chemical reactions require energy in order to work. Some chemical reactions require an intermediary, called a "catalyst," in order to acquire the prerequisite energy for that reaction. Catalysts are not altered in a chemical reaction, but merely facilitate it. Heat, by its very nature, imparts energy to a chemical reaction in the form of excited molecules but is not altered by the chemical reaction in any way (in other words, heat remains heat). Therefore, heat is a catalyst.
Types
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A simple chemical reaction where heat can be used to increase the chances of it occurring is combustion. If a hydrocarbon (a chemical compound) is heated to sufficient levels, it bursts into flames. For example, a log is placed on glowing embers in a fireplace. Heat is applied to the hydrocarbons in the wood, causing it to catch on fire. Burning, also known as rapid oxidization, facilitates the breakdown of hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water (H2O) vapor. Heat, however, remains heat though it may increase due to the chemical reaction occurring in the log.
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Identification
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Heat in a chemical reaction's written equation is represented at a small triangle (delta) with a capital letter "H." The amount of heat needed to effect a chemical reaction or produced by a chemical reaction is called "Enthalpy." If a reaction needs more heat to occur than it produces, the reaction is called "endothermic." If it produces more heat than is necessary to overcome the energy barrier, then it is considered an "exothermic" reaction.
Misconceptions
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In an endothermic reaction, there may be some temptation to consider heat "used up" during a chemical reaction, but this is a misconception to heat's role as a catalyst. No matter what the reaction, heat never becomes something other than heat. For instance, if a cold pack is broken open and the chemicals inside combine, they may consume heat's energy (in other words, they feel cold) but they do not change it from being heat. Conversely, an exothermic reaction (burning wood, for example) does not take heat and turn it into something else even though it may create more heat.
Expert Insight
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Heat is not the only catalyst available to chemical reactions, but it is a useful and common one. Baking and cooking are examples of chemical reactions which use heat to effect chemical reactions. For instance, carmelization of onions breaks down proteins and releases sugars which then turn brown in the pan. Also, heat applied to the fermentation process accelerates the metabolic process of yeast which is itself a series of chemical reactions which turn sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
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Comments
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A catalyst doesn't have to be chemical in nature. If I am the boss of a company, and I tell one person to phone another person, then I will be the catalyst of the phonecall. Heat is just a form of energy. Just carbon, hydrogen and oxygen wont do anything, but when you add energy to the mix in the form of heat it will combust and produce carbondioxide/monoxide and water vapor. Cold is just absense of heat, as darkness is absent of light. Light is a collection of photons where dark is simply the lack of photons. This means cold is not a catalyst as it just means lack of energy in the form of heat.
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My theory is that heat can not be defined as a catalyst, or an energy source. You cannot create or destroy energy, but at the heart of that, if two or more chemicals are combined to create/"produce" energy in the form of heat, then heat (a form of energy) cannot be created. Also, what catalyst produces energy? None. What catalyst inhibits the production of any form of energy? None. Clearly energy cant be inhibited, nor created, nor destroyed.
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If heat is a catalyst, what are its reacting enzymes? It isn't a chemical, it's a product. Heat really is nothing other than the absence of cold, correct? So if it indeed is a catalyst, does it matter what chemical reaction produces heat? Logic would suggest that all the production of heat means is a depletion of cold. Furthermore, if heat cannot be affected by chemical reactions, how can a chemical reaction take away the presence of cold? And if heat is indeed a catalyst, then wouldn't the cold, or absence of heat, be a catalyst as well? Just a thought.
