catalyst

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Also noted in my March 12 article, what set the stage for the catalyst was the fact that "... the markets were primed for any good news," with the catalyst being the positive Pandit's Amortization Trial Balloon: Can It Float US Out of Crisis?

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun Chemistry A substance, usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants, that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the process.
  2. noun One that precipitates a process or event, especially without being involved in or changed by the consequences: "A free press ... has remained ... a vital catalyst to an informed and responsible electorate” (Robert O'Neal).

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Examples (42)

  • He's found a way -- he's found a catalyst, and he's found a way to take CO2 and make it into polycarbonates. —  Janine Benyus shares nature's designs
  • The catalyst, which is easy and cheap to make, could be used to generate vast amounts of hydrogen using sunlight to power the reactions. —  Qwaider Planet
  • The reverse process is the basis of a fuel cell, where hydrogen and oxygen react with one another on a surface of something called a catalyst, a chemical which facilitates the chemical reaction. —  The British National Party
  • Fittingly, the catalyst was the murder of a white woman at the hands of a Hispanic male. limiting her contact with others, growing intensely suspicious of her motives. —  VDARE.com - Latest Articles
  • Also noted in my March 12 article, what set the stage for the catalyst was the fact that "... the markets were primed for any good news," with the catalyst being the positive Pandit's Amortization Trial Balloon: Can It Float US Out of Crisis? —  Minyanville
 

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Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

catalysis ·  reagents ·  contaminant ·  solvent ·  hydrogenation ·  dioxide ·  nitrate ·  oxide ·  ion ·  pesticide ·  hydrides ·  hydrogen

Used in the same contextWord Family

catalyst:   catalysts
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

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/ˈkætəlɪst/
by American Heritage

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