[thedoc (OP)]

Every chemical reaction on earth, from digesting food to powering a car requires a catalysis. We use man-made catalyses in industry, which can have far reaching consequences, even life and death.

Read the article then tell us what you think...

[spaceface]

thanks

[Shekhar shah]

A catalyst is a substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction but is not consumed during the reaction. A catalyst will appear in the steps of a reaction mechanism, but it will not appear in the overall chemical reaction (as it is not a reactant or product).

[Bored chemist]

Every chemical reaction on earth, from digesting food to powering a car requires a catalysis.

Not really.
For example, things burn without generally needing a catalyst.

[alancalverd]

A catalyst lowers the energy barrier in a reaction, generally allowing equilibrium to be reached more quickly and/or at a lower temperature than an uncatalysed reaction. What people tend to forget is that a catalyst doesn't alter the final equilibrium because it promotes both the forward and reverse reaction - like reducing mutual trade tariffs!

An internal combustion engine relies on the absence of a catalyst. You can oxidise petrol vapor at low temperature  with e.g. palladium, but a clean fuel/air mix will only burn if you start the process with a spark, so the engine runs forwards and on command. 

[evan_au]

The article looks quite informative.
One editorial tweak: "coming together into a single from" → "form"

[Hayseed]

Do you know what a jig is?  Have you ever had to assemble a collection of the same objects, over and over?

It gets boring and time consuming to assemble the same thing over and over.   SO...we build a jig.

We will place all the components in the jig......then with one operation.......one lever pull or a crank.....and the object is assembled.

The assembly device is called a jig.

A catalyst is a chemical jig.  It "fits" the components.