Read Aloud — Chemistry

A catalyst accelerates a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process. Industrial manufacturing relies heavily on catalysts because they reduce the energy required for production, lower costs, and minimise harmful by-products that would otherwise pollute the surrounding environment.

Water is often called the universal solvent because its polar molecular structure allows it to dissolve more substances than any other naturally occurring liquid. This property is essential for biological processes, from nutrient transport inside cells to weathering of rocks across landscapes.

The periodic table arranges elements by increasing atomic number and groups them according to shared chemical properties. This organisation, first proposed by Dmitri Mendeleev in the nineteenth century, remains one of the most powerful predictive tools in modern chemistry and materials science.