Dental Assistant Practice Exam

Which term describes a chemical accelerant that is not consumed in the reaction?

1. Catalyst

2. Solvent

3. Adhesive

4. Solution

The correct answer is: Catalyst

The term that describes a chemical accelerant that is not consumed in the reaction is a catalyst. Catalysts are substances that increase the rate of a chemical reaction without undergoing any permanent chemical change themselves. This means that they can participate in the reaction process, facilitating it by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to proceed, but they are not depleted in the process and can be recovered at the end of the reaction. In contrast, the other terms have different meanings. Solvents are substances, typically liquids, that dissolve a solute to form a solution, and they are often consumed in the process of mixing with other substances. Adhesives are materials used to bond surfaces together; while they may accelerate certain processes by facilitating adherence, they are not classified as chemical accelerants. Solutions refer to homogeneous mixtures of two or more substances, which can involve both a solute and a solvent, but do not specifically denote a role of accelerating a reaction without being consumed.