catalysis

American  

[kuh-tal-uh-sis] / kəˈtæl ə sɪs /

noun

catalyses plural

1. Chemistry. the causing or accelerating of a chemical change by the addition of a catalyst.

2. an action between two or more persons or forces, initiated by an agent that itself remains unaffected by the action.

   social catalyses occasioned by controversial writings.

---

catalysis British  

/ kəˈtælɪsɪs /

noun

1. acceleration of a chemical reaction by the action of a catalyst

---

Other Word Forms

• anticatalytic
  adjective
• anticatalytically
  adverb
• catalytic
  adjective
• catalytical
  adjective
• catalytically
  adverb
• noncatalytic
  adjective
• noncatalytically
  adverb
• self-catalysis
  noun
• semicatalytic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of catalysis

First recorded in 1645–55; from New Latin, from Greek katálȳsis “dissolution,” equivalent to katalȳ́ein “to dissolve” ( kata- cata- + lȳ́ein “to loosen”) + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

Similar to traditional palladium-based catalysis, the behavior of photoexcited palladium catalysts is highly dependent on the phosphine ligand attached to the metal.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2025

"If no oxygen bonds to it, leftover carbon will aggregate on the catalyst's nickel surface, covering its active face. This coking deposition causes deactivation. It is extremely common in thermal catalysis for hydrocarbon conversion."

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

More than 95,000 MOFs have so far been discovered with a broad range of applications in fields such as catalysis, gas separation and energy storage.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2024

Perovskites are named after their structural resemblance to the mineral calcium titanate perovskite, and are well known for their fascinating properties that can be applied in wide-ranging fields such as solar cells, lighting and catalysis.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

Then little by little catalysis of the hydrogen peroxide begins, with liberation of oxygen.

From The Mechanism of Life by Leduc, Stéphane