Which German chemist described substances that initiate chemical reactions without being consumed, a concept later associated with catalysts?

Which German chemist described substances that initiate chemical reactions without being consumed, a concept later associated with catalysts?

• A. Berzelius
• B. Eilhard Mitscherlich
• C. Justus Freiherr von Liebig
• D. Louis Pasteur

Answer: (B)

Substances that speed up a chemical reaction without being consumed are catalysts. Eilhard Mitscherlich, a German chemist, described such catalytic substances as agents that can initiate or accelerate a reaction while remaining unchanged themselves. This observation laid the groundwork for the concept of catalysis, which was later formalized in name and theory by others, but Mitscherlich is the German chemist most closely associated with describing catalytic behavior. Pasteur was French, and Liebig did not center his work on catalysis in the same way.

Substances that speed up a chemical reaction without being consumed are catalysts. Eilhard Mitscherlich, a German chemist, described such catalytic substances as agents that can initiate or accelerate a reaction while remaining unchanged themselves. This observation laid the groundwork for the concept of catalysis, which was later formalized in name and theory by others, but Mitscherlich is the German chemist most closely associated with describing catalytic behavior. Pasteur was French, and Liebig did not center his work on catalysis in the same way.