catalyst
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catalyst
HB50
substance whose presence increases the rate at which a chemical reaction takes place without undergoing any change itself and which remains essentially unchanged at the end of the reaction; for example, a material used to initiate the polymerization of monomers to form polymers
The term is often used loosely to indicate the additives that enter into a reaction as in the curing by chemical cross-linking of resins. A catalyst is not the same as an accelerator or activator, and is the opposite of an inhibitor which slows down a chemical reaction.