Handling catalysts safely

Tuburan,Maayon,Capiz Teaching about catalysts and other things relating to the topic is important because it adds more information that back up the fact that people should not be playing with chemicals; rather they should observe safety measures in handling chemicals which also includes adding the right stuff in the right amounts and in the right situations like only when necessary.

Catalysts are substances that contribute to a change in the rate of a particular chemical reaction through offering an alternative route that will lower the activation energy needed, changing the way the reaction happens. It makes it easier for a chemical reaction to happen quicker or in more different conditions such as a lower temperature that normally holds the reaction back from happening or at least happening quickly. It does not get consumed.

Examples of catalysts are iron and platinum being used to make ammonia out of hydrogen and nitrogen and potassium permanganate being used to decompose hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas.

There are also catalysts inside catalytic converters in cars which help in reducing toxic gases and use platinum and rhodium to get the job done. This is relevant because there is a strong call against air pollution and smoke from vehicles contributes to the same kind of pollution.

There are also catalyst poison which are substances that lessen the effectiveness of a catalysts in a chemical reaction and can result from the reacting substances or products of the reaction. An example of catalyst poison are oxygen and water on iron catalysts used in ammonia synthesis. It is basically the exact opposite of the catalyst.

Knowing what substances or chemicals will react with what will help the students choose what they will use and when they have to use it well as well as what substances or chemicals they must avoid using.

Teaching about catalysts is important to students because they will have to do laboratory experiments and they might pursue careers or businesses which will require dealing with substances or chemicals that is either the product itself or as ingredients to the product. Safety in these doing these things is of the utmost importance. Also, being young can be a mischievous time for people because they might consider using chemicals at random for the fun of seeing what happens next without realizing the possible risks that come with such oblivious usage.

Handling chemicals haphazardly will lead to the most severe of effects such as destruction of property, destruction of the natural environment, injuries or bizarre mutations of living creatures, and death which is why we should impart knowledge just like what I mentioned to the students.

Learning about catalysts is also a part of the lesson on how chemical changes happen because catalysts do help create chemical changes.

The students can also use what they learned about catalysts in making promotional material like those in a poster, a flyer, or a brochure that reveal the uses and properties of the product, the mode of action necessary, and the precautions that come with using the product as an advocacy of handling chemicals or products with chemicals and catalysts safely.