Making Reactions Go Faster Since the 1700s | Great Minds: Elizabeth Fulhame

The video explores the concept of catalysis, a crucial chemical process in modern life, and highlights the pioneering work of Elizabeth Fulhame in the late 18th century. Despite the male-dominated field, Fulhame's meticulous experiments laid the groundwork for understanding catalysis, reduction, and oxidation. Her work, published in 1794, predated Jons Jacob Berzelius's naming of the process by 40 years. The video also discusses the role of catalysts in various applications, including industrial processes and biological systems, and acknowledges Fulhame's lasting impact on chemistry, as evidenced by the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

What is catalysis primarily responsible for in modern life?

• Eliminating chemical reactions

• Preventing chemical reactions

• Speeding up chemical reactions

• Slowing down chemical reactions

What is the role of a catalyst in a chemical reaction?

• To provide a surface for reaction ingredients

• To increase the activation energy

• To stop the reaction

• To consume the reactants

Where are catalysts commonly found in everyday life?

• In the soil

• In catalytic converters in cars

• In the air we breathe

• In the ocean

What was Elizabeth Fulhame's main goal in her experiments?

• To dye cloth with gold

• To develop a new type of fuel

• To invent a new chemical element

• To create new types of metals

What did Fulhame use as a reducing agent in her experiments?

• Nitrogen

• Carbon dioxide

• Hydrogen

• Oxygen

What was a significant finding of Fulhame's experiments regarding water?

• Water was consumed in the reaction

• Water acted as a catalyst

• Water prevented the reaction

• Water was irrelevant to the reaction

How did Fulhame's work influence the field of chemistry?

• It laid the groundwork for modern catalysis

• It was completely disproven

• It was only relevant to textile dyeing

• It had no significant impact