Seeking new catalysts
These questions focus on the use of catalysts in common industrial reactions and new research on alternatives to the precious metals currently used as catalysts.
Educator Guide: Built for Speed
About this guide
The article “Built for speed” discusses how catalysts make a wide range of chemical reactions possible, and how scientists are developing improved catalysts that would be less expensive, more efficient or have other advantages. Students can focus on details in the article, follow connections to earlier articles about catalysts, explore cross-curricular connections to other major science topics and conduct their own experiments to demonstrate the ability of catalysts.
This Guide Includes:
Speedy stories from the archive
Students will search the Science News archive to explore the history of catalytic material technology.
Private: Catalysts 101
These discussion prompts cover the basics of chemical catalysts, enzymes as biological catalysts, the energies and physical properties of catalysts, plus related applications.
Illuminating catalysts
Students will test different types of catalysts and conditions for the light-producing luminol reaction.
From lactose to glucose
Students will test the effect of different conditions on lactase, an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of milk sugar to simple sugar.